The Atlanta Braves didn’t just return home; they made sure everyone knew the den was open for business. With “Throw It Up” by Lil Jon blasting through the clubhouse, Atlanta turned its Game 3 return to Truist Park into a celebration of a series suddenly back on its terms. After splitting the first two games, the Braves returned home needing to avoid falling behind 2-1 in a series they once controlled.

Just 24 hours earlier, the mood around Atlanta was far less festive.

Walt Weiss’ bullpen gamble in Game 2 had drawn criticism, but Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes silenced doubters with scoreless innings. Now, with Chris Sale on the mound for Game 3, the Braves had momentum.

“All right, I’m here at the tunnels of Truist Park, walking by the Braves’ clubhouse. This is the weight room. These guys are feeling it. Game three. Let’s get it,” Foul Territory shared Zach Klein’s clip via X.

The clip went viral during Game 3, which was already underway.

It shows Klein passing by the Braves’ weight room before Game 3, when LIL Jon’s music was heard blasting out of their clubhouse. It may be a homecoming celebration. But it was definitely a way to get all hyped up to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The energy could be felt from the other side of the shutter, as the Braves were heard mouthing on top of their voices along the beat of the song.

Much like what Sale did for the Boston Red Sox during Game 4 of the 2018 World Series.

The ace stood in the back of the dugout as the ring seemed to slip away. He started screaming that the then-Dodgers starter, Rich Hill, had two pitches left. Sale looked and shouted all around him with different gestures as the players were all moving in front of him. Rafael Devers and Brock Holt even noted after the game that they were scared to see him yell like that. But it also brought fire into their bodies, and their bats started swinging.

Trailing behind with 4 runs and just one hit in the 6th, Boston was looking at blowing its 2-1 WS lead. But the game ended with a 9-6 victory, and a lot of that had to do with how Sale handled the situation.

After a losing 2025, the Braves clawed back to the NLDS in 2026. They hadn’t reached the NLCS since 2021, when they beat the same Dodgers. But that may not be the only reason for the Braves to be confident against the Dodgers.

The Braves dominated the Dodgers 5-1 in the regular season and held them to three runs in Game 2. That track record fueled their confidence heading into Game 3. But ultimately, it went far from their expected line.

Chris Sale started the game with a dominant show but couldn’t maintain it.

He recorded 6 strikeouts through the first 2 innings. But Los Angeles finally cracked Sale in the top of the 4th.

Andy Pages led off with a single. Kike Hernandez then crushed a 406-foot two-run home run to left field. Freddie Freeman followed shortly after with a solo home run, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0.

Even though Atlanta answered back with Mauricio Dubon managing to get on base and score when Drake Baldwin picked up a clutch RBI, narrowing the margin to 3-1, the score stayed there.

This time, Yoshinobu Yamamoto outdueled Sale.

Since closing out Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, Yamamoto made his first postseason appearance and twirled seven innings of one-run ball on Tuesday night. This day came with another record for the almost expression-less pitcher.

Yamamoto recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts, helping LA just one win away from advancing to the NLCS. The number was 9 last season during his NL Wild Card Series Game 2 start.

Sale allowing 3 ERs was surely not what Weiss would have expected.

The scoreline made us recall the Braves’ 1992 NLCS debacle against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Braves jumped to a 3-1 series lead heading into Game 5 in Pittsburgh. Confident they would close it out, the clubhouse crew had 25 cases of champagne iced and ready. But the Braves lost.

They packed up all 25 cases, flew back to Atlanta, and prepped the locker room all over again for Game 6. They lost that night, too.

LA now has the edge in the division series, historically speaking.

In a 1-1 tied best-of-five postseason series, the team that wins Game 3 has won the series 72% of times. In Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, teams leading 2-1 heading into Game 4 on the road have won the series 70% of times. 20 of those victories have come in Game 4.

Manager Dave Roberts’ strategy of changing the lineup worked.

While Sale was expected to dominate, it was Dubon’s defense that kept the Braves in the game.

The Braves lost the starter’s duel

Game 3 was touted to be the duel between Sale and the Dodgers’ starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. While Sale was pulled out after pitching 5 innings, allowing 3 ERs with 7 strikeouts, Yamamoto was completely in control, allowing just 1 ER through 6 innings with 8 strikeouts.

That number went to 10 by the end of his 7th inning of pitching.

Nevertheless, Dubon led the show for the Braves.

His defensive impact came in the third. Freeman crushed a 101.3 mph drive to deep left field that looked like a certain two-run home run. Dubon tracked it perfectly, timed his leap at the wall on a sprint, and robbed Freeman of a home run right in front of the Dodgers’ bullpen.

The only trouble Yamamoto faced was in the fifth.

The Braves loaded the bases with one out and scratched a run across on a Drake Baldwin groundout to first base.

The Braves’ “Throw It Up” celebration simply felt premature after the game. The pressure now builds on Tyler Mahle, as Atlanta hopes for a comeback on Wednesday night.