Through the first 15 innings of the 2020 NLCS, the Los Angeles Dodgers offense was held in check by the Atlanta Braves pitching staff. They had managed just one run: a solo homer from Enrique Hernandez. Signs of life were spotted in the last three innings, as the Dodgers scored seven runs and made the Braves' sweat out a one-run win to take a 2-0 series lead.
The Dodgers carried that late momentum over to a historic first inning against Braves' starter Kyle Wright and even dinged the Braves' bullpen pretty strongly. When all was said and done, the Dodgers had scored an absurd 11 runs before the Braves even batted. ELEVEN!
Here are 11 things to know about the 11-run inning.
1. The 11 runs are the most ever scored in a single inning by a team in the history of Major League Baseball postseason play.
2. It all started with an overturned call. On the first pitch of the game, Mookie Betts hit a grounder right down the third-base line, and, at first glance, Johan Camargo made an outstanding play to get Betts. The call was overturned via replay, though, as Betts beat the throw by an eyelash.
3. Corey Seager got the scoring started immediately thereafter, with a double that scored Betts. The Dodgers had their first lead of the NLCS after just two batters, but that was only the beginning.
The start the @Dodgers needed. #NLCS pic.twitter.com/7Tc3LOPMt2
— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2020
4. The big blow early was Joc Pederson's three-run shot:
5. Edwin Rios then went back-to-back. Just like that it was already 6-0.
6. The parting shot to the historic inning was Max Muncy's grand slam. It came off Braves reliever Grant Dayton, who loaded the bases with two outs.
GRAND SLAM!
— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2020
What. An. Inning. #NLCS pic.twitter.com/HidrKTEKb5
That made the Dodgers the first team in postseason history to hit three home runs in the first inning (via MLB.com's Sarah Langs).
7. Every single Dodgers player scored a run. Think about how insane that is. All nine Dodgers scored a run in the first inning. Betts and Corey Seager each scored twice.
8. Though not quite to this extent, the Braves have of been here before. Last year in Game 5 of the NLDS, they gave up 10 runs in the first inning to the Cardinals and lost that elimination game.
9. The Braves' pitchers had been dominant until the last three innings in Game 2. They had allowed just six runs in their first six games of the 2020 postseason.
10. Wright made dubious history as the first pitcher to ever allow at least seven earned runs in less than an inning in the playoffs (via Katie Sharp).
11. There are implications for the rest of the series here. The Braves have to piece together 27 outs and they didn't even get three from their starter. They cannot afford to have their whole bullpen gassed with no days off in this NLCS. Youngster Bryse Wilson is starting Game 4 and he hasn't thrown more than five innings in a game this season -- and the last time he did that was Sept. 22.
The good news for the Braves is the worst thing that can happen Wednesday is they finish the night with a two games to one lead.