Teoscar Hernandez steals Game 1, Phillies let Dodgers off the hook

The Phillies and Red October started loud. Cristopher Sánchez came out throwing like he wanted to bury Shohei Ohtani’s playoff debut before it even got started.

Citizens Bank Park was a madhouse. Towels flying, Ohtani striking out three times against Sánchez, the guy everyone’s suddenly calling “the ace” since Zack Wheeler went down. It was everything you want out of October in South Philly.

And then the bullpen happened.

The Good

Sánchez gave Ohtani the full Citizens Bank baptism. Struck him out three times, even dropped a fist pump after a filthy strike three in the fifth that had 46,000 maniacs losing their voices.

NASTY. pic.twitter.com/qem246KMFr

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 4, 2025

JT Realmuto made Teoscar Hernández look like a little leaguer in the third when his lollygag in right turned into a two-run triple. Harrison Bader tacked on a sac fly and just like that, 3-0 Phils.

REAL-LY CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/MNrSWIPfo6

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 4, 2025

Another run, thank you! pic.twitter.com/o55kpuocoE

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 4, 2025

For a while, Ohtani looked human on the mound too, giving up three runs early and looking rattled at the plate. Four strikeouts. The first guy in postseason history to whiff four times with the bat and still rack up nine Ks as a pitcher. Only in Philly.

The Bad

The Dodgers hung around. Kiké Hernández ripped a two-run double in the sixth to cut it to 3-2, and then the dam broke. David Robertson and Matt Strahm turned a one-run lead into a deficit in the blink of an eye.

Teoscar, Hernandez redeemed himself with a three-run bomb in the seventh. Citizens Bank went from a roar to that stunned, slow headshake we know too well.

Call me crazy, but I would have sent Ranger Suarez to the mound instead of David Robertson. When you have a must win Game 1 and a 3-0 lead, while the lineup was silent, you have to put everything on the table to secure the win and get out of dodge.

The Phillies did not do that. Too much David Robertson and Topper was forced to use Matt Strahm in a high-leverage situation that used to be reserved for a guy named Jose Alvarado. That postseason suspension already hurt this team in Game 1 and now we’re all in trouble.

It’s clear Matt Strahm was tipping pitches in Phillies’ brutal Game 1 loss to the Dodgers

Speaking of the lineup, no one hit after the third inning. Schwarber, Turner, Harper, Bohm went 1-for-13 with one run scored and zero RBIs. That can’t happen if you expect to win games in October.

The Dodgers’ Party Trick

Ohtani may have been a mess at the plate, but he settled in on the mound after the second. Sasaki, the 23-year-old flamethrower, came in and shut the door in the ninth for his first save.

Of course, MLB will love the “first Japanese starter/reliever combo for a postseason win/save” storyline. Cool stat. Doesn’t make it hurt any less.

What’s Next

The Phillies aren’t dead. This was Game 1, but it’s no secret that they are definitely in a world of trouble heading into Game 2. Jesús Luzardo takes the ball tonight for his first real taste of Red October, going up against Blake Snell, who’s got two Cy Youngs and a bad habit of overthinking when it matters.

Citizens Bank will be louder, angrier, and less forgiving.

The Dodgers stole one because the Phillies let ‘em. Plain and simple. Philly jumped on Ohtani early and then disappeared. That can’t happen again.

This series was never going to be easy, but it damn sure shouldn’t be about letting Teoscar Hernández be the one to swing the balance.

Game 2 is a must. No excuses.

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