Tuesday night had baseball everything a postseason baseball fan could ask for: Comebacks, desperation, stars delivering under pressure, and a manager search adding another layer of drama. While the Los Angeles Dodgers found their October hero at the perfect time to reclaim control of their NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, the San Diego Padres were fighting for nothing less than survival after falling into a 0-2 hole.

With Chris Sale back on the mound, Atlanta looked poised to build on its Game 2 momentum. Instead, the Dodgers’ Mr. October flipped the script, putting Los Angeles ahead 2-1 with two chances left to finish the series. The Padres had no such luxury. Facing elimination, they emptied the tank. Cronenworth’s solo shot put San Diego ahead 3-2; Michael King then locked down a save in a tense 9th. And while Philadelphia has already seen its postseason run end, the Phillies’ biggest question now sits in the dugout, with Alex Cora reportedly turning down another offer. So, Tuesday night had plenty of MLB drama to unpack. Let’s dive in for more details.

The Dodgers made a comeback

“DODGERS TAKE GAME 3 IN ATLANTA AND ARE ONE WIN AWAY FROM THE NLCS,” B/R Walk-Off shared via X.

The Dodgers faced a perfect storm: Sale’s dominance, Ohtani’s struggles, and a stalled offense. Kike Hernandez had other plans. However, all of these made a perfect platform for Kike Hernandez to take the podium.

Hernandez has a long-standing reputation for rising to the occasion on baseball’s biggest stage, including hitting numerous high-pressure home runs (reaching 17 career postseason home runs by October 2026). According to OptaStats, Hernandez is the only player in MLB history (minimum 100 career HRs) with at least 10% of his homers in the postseason..

The Dodgers bet on him one more time, and he didn’t disappoint.

Sale had been absolutely lethal, carving through the star-studded Dodgers lineup with 6 strikeouts in the first two innings. In the fourth, Andy Pages managed to get on base, setting the stage with one runner on. Hernandez stepped up to the plate, and a blistering 107 MPH exit velocity took Sale’s changeup for a 406-foot homer.

The blast broke the scoreless deadlock, driving in Pages and giving the Dodgers a lightning-fast 2-0 lead. The momentum completely rattled Sale. In the very next at-bat, Freddie Freeman followed up with a solo shot to go back-to-back, extending the lead to 3-0.

Dubon sparked a Braves response with a single, advancing to third. But Baldwin’s RBI groundout was all Atlanta could muster.

Drake Baldwin stepped into the batter’s box. Showing maturity against Yamamoto’s elite pitch mix, Baldwin successfully put the ball in play. He drove a deep enough ball to collect a crucial RBI, scoring Dubon from third to put the Braves on the scoreboard.

The manufactured run narrowed the gap to 3-1, breathing some life back into the Atlanta dugout. However, that was all the offense the Braves could muster against Yamamoto, who bounced right back and finished a dominant 7-inning, 10-strikeout performance. The Dodgers’ bullpen slammed the door in the 8th and 9th to secure the 3-1 victory.

One more game will decide whether the Dodgers enter the NLCS or the Braves keep the NLDS on.

The Padres went all guns blazing in Game 3

Tuesday was a do-or-die situation for the Padres, and they acted accordingly. Nick Pivetta started and allowed 2 ER in 4.1 innings. In the top of the 5th inning, the Brewers tied the game at 2-2 and loaded the bases against a struggling Jason Adam.

The Padres turned to left-hander Yuki Matsui in the high-leverage jam. Matsui forced Brice Turang into a sharp groundout to second baseman Xander Bogaerts, who made a brilliant diving play to escape the inning without further damage. Matsui went on to handle his outs into the 6th inning before passing the baton.

Immediately after Matsui’s escape, Jake Cronenworth blasted a solo home run on the very first pitch of the bottom of the 5th inning. The home run put the Padres up 3-2 and completely shifted the momentum inside Petco Park.

With a slim lead and an empty closer spot, the Padres deployed Game 2 starter Michael King to pitch the final two innings on just one day of rest.

In a tense 9th inning, things grew shaky when King walked two batters with two outs. He locked back in to face Milwaukee captain Christian Yelich, inducing a game-ending double play to lock down his first postseason save and secure the 4-3 win.

However, just as the Padres hold on to their fort till the next game, the question is what’s left for them in Game 4. Walker Buehler will start the next game with Robbie Ray may be coming out of the bullpen. Or else, there could be another bullpen game waiting.

The Phillies’ search for a manager continues

It is almost certain that Don Mattingly will not manage the Phillies for the next season. The favorite in the race was Alex Cora. After the Boston Red Sox firing, Cora could have accepted the offer by now, but he chose to decline again.

This marks the second time in six months that Cora has turned down the Phillies. Dave Dombrowski previously made an aggressive push to hire Cora immediately after the Red Sox fired him in late April 2026. Cora declined both offers primarily to prioritize family time in Puerto Rico with his fiancee and twin sons.

“Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, spoke with Cora about becoming their manager in 2027, but Cora informed Dombrowski he’s taking the season off, a high-ranking Phillies executive with direct knowledge of their talks told USA TODAY Sports,” MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported.

However, while the Phillies’ hunt for a new manager continues, the chance for Cora is still not over. Dombrowski originally hired Cora to manage the Red Sox ahead of the 2018 season. Their existing trust and strong working relationship made Cora the obvious choice to take over in Philadelphia.

Cora led Boston to a 108-54 record and a 2018 World Series title, the exact championship pedigree the Phillies need.