Padres stun Dodgers to reach National League Championship Series




CNN

Was that the biggest surprise in postseason history? The Los Angeles Dodgers have been on a winning streak like no other — but it’s the San Diego Padres who are on their way to the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

Jake Cronenworth capped a five-run Padres seventh with a two-out-two-run singles tiebreak on Saturday night as the Padres rebounded from a 3-0 deficit and eliminated the National League West champions from the playoffs.

The 3-1 National League Division Series (NLDS) win secures the Padres a home game against Philadelphia, who defeated the Atlanta Braves 8-3 to win their NLDS in four games.

The Dodgers had enjoyed winning a franchise-record 111 games in the regular season and in the NLDS series opener, but lost three straight to the Padres, who are traveling to their first NLCS in 24 years.

In 2022, the Padres had lost all six series to the Dodgers. According to MLB.com, only one team in playoff history — the 1906 White Sox over the Cubs — had ever won a postseason series against a team so far behind overall.

In the American League Division Series, Jeremy Pena hit a homer in the 18th inning as the Houston Astros eliminated the Seattle Mariners and won the best-of-five series 3-0.

The homer decided the longest goalless game in postseason history in a match that lasted six hours and 22 minutes and included nearly 500 pitches.

“This is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Pena said, per MLB.com

Elsewhere, rookie Oscar Gonzalez hit a base-loaded two-strike single with two outs in the ninth inning as host Cleveland rallied to a win over New York in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.