The Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season and begin their journey on Tuesday when they host the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series.
The Dodgers went 5-1 against the Reds during the regular season, including winning all three matchups at Dodger Stadium from Aug. 25-27. L.A. outscored Cincinnati, 30-15, in the six games.
The Dodgers and Reds are facing each other for the only second time in MLB postseason history, with their previous meeting coming in the 1995 NL Division Series.
Cincinnati completed a three-game sweep of L.A. before being eliminated by the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves in the NL Championship Series.
Reds vs. Dodgers postseason history: 1995 NLDS
Game 1: 7-2 loss
The Dodgers, with home-field advantage, looked to get off to a good start against the Reds in Game 1 of the 1995 NLDS.
However, they immediately fell into a 4-0 deficit in the first inning after Ramón Martínez allowed two-out, extra-base hits to Hal Morris and Benito Santiago.
The Reds extended their lead to 7-0 before the Dodgers scored their first run on an RBI single by Brett Butler in the fifth inning. Mike Piazza would later add a solo home run in the sixth, but that was all for the L.A. offense.
Game 2: 5-4 loss
Looking to even the series, the Dodgers took an early 1-0 lead over the Reds in Game 2 with Eric Karros’ first-inning RBI double.
Cincinnati would eventually pull ahead in the top of the fourth on Reggie Sanders’ two-run blast, but Karros tied the score with a home run of his own later that inning.
The Reds scored three unanswered runs to take a 5-2 lead into the ninth, but the Dodgers did not go away quietly as Karros hit a two-run homer to bring the Dodgers to within one. However, Jeff Brantley retired the next two batters to secure a 5-4 win for the Reds.
Game 3: 10-1 loss
With the 1995 NLDS shifting to Riverfront Stadium, the Reds had a chance to complete a sweep of the Dodgers in front of their fans.
Cincinnati took a 2-0 lead on Ron Gant’s home run off Hideo Nomo in the third. After the Dodgers scored a run in the top of the fourth inning, the game quickly got out of hand.
A home run by Bret Boone in the bottom of the fourth inning extended the Reds’ lead to 3-1. Then in the sixth, Cincinnati extended their lead to 7-1 on Mark Lewis’ grand slam.
The Reds added three more runs in the seventh on Mike Jackson’s RBI double to give them a decided 10-1 lead and sweep over the Dodgers.
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