The Washington Nationals rallied in the eighth inning for a comeback win against an upset-minded Milwaukee Brewers team in the National League Wild Card Game to punch their ticket for a matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
Game 1 of the 2019 NLDS is set for a 5:37 p.m. PT start at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. First pitch of Game 2 is scheduled at 6:37 p.m. on Friday. The series then shifts to Nationals Park for Game 3 on Sunday and that would be the site of a potential a fourth game on Monday as well.
If the NLDS stretches to a Game 5, that will be played at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Start times have not yet been announced beyond Game 2.
The Dodgers are in the postseason as NL West champions for a seventh consecutive season. They finished with the league’s best record and therefore guaranteed themselves home-field advantage through the NL Championship Series for a second time in the past three years.
The Dodgers finished with a franchise-record 106 wins and their 59 victories at Dodger Stadium also set an all-time mark. They nonetheless were narrowly bested by the Astros, who had 107 and 60 such wins.
Thus, should the Dodgers advance to the 2019 World Series, they would have homefield in every matchup unless it’s against the Houston Astros.
The Nationals’ path to the postseason was much more challenging as they struggled, were impacted by injuries and fell to as many as 12 games under .500. They stormed back into the playoff picture and despite not catching the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, clinched the top seed in the Wild Card Game.
The Dodgers won four of seven head-to-head meetings against the Nationals this season, narrowly outscoring them 30-27. Including their time as the Montreal Expos franchise, the Nationals have only face the Dodgers in the postseason twice before.
Their most recent meeting came in the 2016 NLDS, which L.A. won in five games despite not having home-field advantage.
The first first 40,000 fans in attendance for Game 1 of this year’s NLDS will receive a Cody Bellinger bobblehead. The organization’s first postseason bobblehead be available in both home white and road gray uniforms and randomly distributed at points of entry.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has not revealed his NLDS rotation, though it is reasonable to believe Hyun-Jin Ryu will start one of the first two games at Dodger Stadium. Roberts did acknowledge the club is comfortable with starting Rich Hill in a potential Game 4.
Complete 2019 NLDS schedule with available start times and TV information
Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 3, Dodger Stadium, 5:37 p.m. PT (TBS)
Game 2: Friday, Oct. 4, Dodger Stadium, 6:37 p.m. PT (TBS)
Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 6, Nationals Park (TBS)
Game 4*: Monday, Oct. 7, Nationals Park (TBS)
Game 5*: Wednesday, Oct. 9, Dodger Stadium (TBS)
*if necessary
