First pitch between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series is officially set for 5:08 p.m. PT on Thursday at Nationals Park, and will be televised by Fox Sports 1. It’s the first primetime start of their series.
The start time was determined by the Chicago Cubs eliminating the San Francisco Giants to advance to the NL Championship Series. San Francisco blew a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning. Had the Giants forced a Game 5, Los Angeles and Washington would have been scheduled for a 2:05 p.m. PT start.
The situation was identical for the Dodgers and Nationals on Monday night as they needed to wait for Game 3 between the Cubs and Giants to conclude in order to learn of their start on Tuesday.
The waiting process became an arduous one, with the Cubs and Giants playing into the 13th inning. That locked Los Angeles and Washington into a 2:05 p.m. PT start in Game 4.
The Dodgers staved off elimination despite a seventh-inning collapse that saw the Nationals erase a 5-2 deficit. Chase Utley’s go-ahead single in the eighth proved the difference in a 6-5 victory.
Max Scherzer will start Game 5 for Washington, and who he’ll be opposed by has not yet been determined. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in his Game 4 postgame remarks the club was going to use a “collection of arms,” and named Rich Hill and Julio Urias as options to start.
Soon after, Hill claimed he was taking the ball. The start on short rest would be the first of Hill’s career. He allowed four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings in Game 2.
NLDS results, complete schedule and TV information:
Game 1: Dodgers 4, Nationals 3
Game 2: Nationals 5, Dodgers 2
Game 3: Nationals 8, Dodgers 3
Game 4: Dodgers 6, Nationals 5
Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 13, 5:08 p.m. PT (Fox Sports 1)
