Teo gets Dodgers' NLDS going with MASSIVE bat flip, then Tucker, Muncy tack on

LOS ANGELES -- Every time a Dodger hits a home run, “Mr. Seeds” is right there to greet him at the top of the dugout with a bucket of sunflower seeds. On Saturday, it was Teoscar Hernández who was first up on the receiving end.

With Atlanta opting for a bullpen game to open the National League Division Series, it was a scoreless contest through three and a half innings. Victor Mederos came on in relief for the Braves in the fourth, quickly retiring Will Smith before handing Freddie Freeman a walk. That brought up Hernández, who jumped on a 92.4 mph cutter and drove it out to left-center field, opening the scoring in L.A.'s eventual 5-3 win.

The two-run shot marked his 11th career postseason home run (ninth with the Dodgers), continuing a pattern of timely playoff production. Since joining Los Angeles, Hernández has now homered in seven of the eight postseason series he has played in, including a 2025 championship campaign where he pounded out five homers and 13 RBIs.

The swing also reinforced Hernández’s standing among baseball's elite October power hitters. Entering the afternoon, he owned one of the best postseason home run rates in modern playoff history. Through his first two at-bats on Saturday, he ranked fifth among active players in postseason home run efficiency -- averaging a big fly every 13.4 at-bats -- trailing only Giancarlo Stanton (9.8), Kyle Schwarber (10.6), Shohei Ohtani (11.7) and Bryce Harper (12.3).

Hernández’s impact didn’t stop with his own bat. After Atlanta cut L.A.’s lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth, Hernández jump-started a rally by lining a single to center off Braves reliever AJ Smith-Shawver.

That set the stage for none other than Kyle Tucker, who turned on a 97 mph fastball and launched a two-run shot to right, pushing the lead to 4-1. Tucker’s first home playoff homer at Chavez Ravine came after a challenging first regular season in Los Angeles, in which he held a .592 home OPS. The blast not only sent the stadium into a frenzy -- it even caught Tucker in excitement. For an outfielder who almost never lets his emotions show, the relief was instant: a rare, beaming smile cracked across his face as he rounded the bases.

Two batters later, Max Muncy put an exclamation point on the inning, sending an 86 mph splitter into the right-field seats. The solo shot -- Muncy’s franchise-record 17th postseason home run -- moved him within one of tying Reggie Jackson, Carlos Correa and Bryce Harper for 10th on the list of MLB’s career postseason home runs leaders.