Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale bring October résumés to the mound Tuesday night, with the National League Division Series tied at one game apiece as the Dodgers and Braves meet in Game 3 at Truist Park. First pitch in Atlanta is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
The result
There is no margin to spare now. Los Angeles and Atlanta have each claimed a game in the Division Series, leaving Game 3 as the pivotal middle turn of the set. FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One will carry the game.
The Dodgers will hand Yamamoto the ball for his first appearance of this postseason. The reigning World Series MVP already owns a place in recent October lore after working six innings in a 2025 World Series Game 6 start, then returning the following day to finish Game 7.
Atlanta counters with Sale, the left-hander who has already worked twice against Philadelphia in the Wild Card Series. He threw 6 1/3 innings in the opener, then recorded the last four outs of the clinching Game 3. The Braves considered using him on short rest for Game 2, but instead lined him up for this assignment on normal rest.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expects a tight game shaped by two accomplished starters and the hitters able to make the most of their chances. He said Sale merits plenty of attention, while noting that Yamamoto has been “pretty dang good” and has delivered in the postseason before.
Roberts called the matchup a fight and said the deciding detail may be which lineup can keep battling through at-bats against elite pitching.
Sale has his own World Series-clinching history. After starting Game 1 for Boston in 2018, he came back to get the final three outs against the Dodgers in the decisive Game 5. His career postseason ERA is 5.83, but that Boston finish remains one of the defining moments of his October career.
Tuesday marks only the third postseason meeting of starters who had previously recorded the final outs of a World Series title clincher. Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants and Jack Coombs of the Philadelphia Athletics did it in 1911; Cubs right-hander Dizzy Dean and Yankees lefty Lefty Gomez followed in 1938.
Sale said his time with Boston taught him the value of having every available player ready when the season is on the line. He described that clubhouse as the place where he first saw what a winning-at-all-costs culture required.
The rotation next
Yamamoto and Sale last opposed one another on Aug. 27, and the game played out as a full-length pitchers’ duel. Yamamoto allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings, but Sale completed a shutout and struck out 11 for his first complete-game blank since 2019.
Both pitchers are expected to draw National League Cy Young consideration after strong 2026 regular seasons. Sale, though, is not treating the August meeting as anything more than background.
He said his respect for the Dodgers and the game prevents him from assuming a previous outing will dictate the next one. This is playoff baseball, he said, and another grind is what he expects: a battle that demands everything he has on the field.
