Dodgers open NLDS at Dodger Stadium aiming for World Series three-peat
The Los Angeles Dodgers begin their National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, 3 October as they pursue a World Series three-peat in the MLB play-offs.
Los Angeles entered the post-season after earning a first-round bye last week, having won back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025 and becoming the first MLB club to achieve consecutive titles since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000. The Dodgers will be part of a BBC double-header on Saturday, following the Chicago White Sox v Cleveland Guardians ALDS at 18:00 BST with Dodgers v Braves scheduled for 21:00 BST, live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
Dodger Stadium, opened in 1962 with a capacity of 56,000, will also host the Olympic baseball tournament for Los Angeles 2028 and has drawn a celebrity presence to recent post-seasons; Rob Lowe celebrated with Shohei Ohtani in 2024, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sat in the front row for game four of the 2025 World Series, and Brad Pitt attended game four of 2025 with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. Before the 2026 season opener, Miguel Rojas and Freddie Freeman paraded the 2024 and 2025 championship trophies in a Cadillac driven by Will Ferrell.
The Dodgers have been a major draw at the turnstiles: for the past two years their total home attendance has exceeded four million, and this season they set a franchise record of 4,034,219 total fans, an average of 49,805 per game. The source describes Dodger baseball as one of the hottest tickets in town, with regular sightings of actors and athletes such as Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Bryan Cranston, Jason Bateman, Rob Lowe, Justin and Hailey Bieber, LeBron James, Justin Herbert and Sydney Sweeney.
On the field, the Dodgers finished the regular season as the National League second seed with a 100-62 record; the Milwaukee Brewers were the only team with a better mark at 103-59. The club added prominent names during and before the 2024 campaign — including two-way player Shohei Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto — and made a mid-season trade for pitcher Tarik Skubal. Although Ohtani is a rare two-way player, he will not pitch again this year because of injuries; Skubal is expected to start on Saturday.
Matt Olson led Atlanta with 41 home runs in the regular season and added another in Thursday's series-clinching win over the Philadelphia Phillies; only five MLB players hit more home runs than Olson in the regular season. The Dodgers are listed among the favourites to win the World Series, ahead of the Brewers and New York Yankees, according to the source.
Having briefly been based in LA, Pierre Ducrey, sports director for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said he is "quite familiar with the atmosphere it can deliver" at Dodger Stadium. "There's so many Dodger fans and they're very passionate about the team," he told BBC Sport. "They have an incredible venue and one thing I do know about baseball is this is the perfect home for a baseball tournament." Ducrey added: "The Dodgers are in a very good period," and "There is a big momentum for them, but the team would still be immensely followed whether they're successful or not. "There's a very long history behind it, and a very big tradition for baseball in Los Angeles."
Either the Dodgers or the Braves will meet the Milwaukee Brewers or the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), one step from the World Series. Sixth seed Chicago have already upset the Houston Astros in the other half of the play-offs, and either the White Sox or Cleveland will face the Tampa Bay Rays or New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series (ALCS); the winners of the ALCS and NLCS will meet in the World Series, scheduled to begin on Friday, 23 October.