D-Backs stun Dodgers with sweep, advance to 1st NLCS since 2007
The Arizona Diamondbacks completed a shocking sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS with a 4-2 win in Game 3 on Wednesday.
It's only the third time Arizona has advanced to the NLCS in franchise history. The club last reached the championship series in 2007.
This is for you, Arizona. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/77d7cbLAsu
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 12, 2023
The Diamondbacks finished 16 games behind the NL West-winning Dodgers during the regular season. They're the first team in MLB history to sweep a postseason series against a club that won at least 15 more games in the regular season, according to OptaStats.
"There's been so much hard work that's gone into this," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told MLB Network postgame. "I am so grateful to be a part of this organization. And to celebrate with these fans, to celebrate with this group, this ownership, I couldn't be more thrilled."
Arizona set a new postseason record for home runs in an inning after taking Dodgers right-hander Lance Lynn deep four times in the third frame.
The Diamondbacks hit nine home runs over the three contests after not hitting more than seven long balls in any three-game span during the regular season, according to NBC Sports' Christopher Kamka.
Los Angeles starting pitchers had no answers for the Diamondbacks, registering a staggering 25.07 ERA in three games.
The Dodgers couldn't get much going at the plate, with stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman combining for just one hit in 21 at-bats in the series.
"I did absolutely nothing to help us win," Betts said, according to SportsNet LA's J.P. Hoornstra.
After a strong postseason showing last season, Freeman finished the series against the Diamondbacks without an extra-base hit.
"I had pitches to hit all night and rolled them over, just like I've been doing for five weeks," Freeman said, according to SportsNet LA.
Los Angeles has been on the wrong side of three of the six biggest postseason upsets in terms of regular-season win differential.
| Series | Win Differential | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 NLDS | -22 | Padres over Dodgers |
| 2021 NLCS | -18 | Braves over Dodgers |
| 2023 NLDS | -16 | D-Backs over Dodgers |
"They outplayed us in every facet of the game," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to MLB.com's Juan Toribio.
With the Baltimore Orioles also getting swept, this marks the first time in postseason history that multiple teams with at least 100 regular-season wins were swept in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The Diamondbacks will face the winner of the division series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. Arizona will begin the NLCS on the road, with Game 1 set for Monday.