The China Mail - Three-peat seeking Dodgers open playoffs with a win, Rays hold off Yankees

Six strong innings from pitcher Tarik Skubal and home runs from Teoscar Hernandez, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy propelled the Dodgers over the Braves.

Skubal, the reigning two-time Cy Young Award-winner acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline in August, delivered in his first post-season start for the Dodgers, settling down after surrendering an opening single to retire 15 straight batters.

In sizzling, 100-F (38c) temperatures at Dodger Stadium, Skubal gave up just two hits, including a solo homer to Sean Murphy in the sixth, and had ample support from the Dodgers offense as Los Angeles seized a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five National League division series.

"I think I was just trying to match the temperature out there," said Skubal, whose fastball hit 101 mph in the second inning. "It was a hot one."

Hernandez gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a 431-foot fourth inning blast off Atlanta relief pitcher Victor Mederos, who had walked Freddie Freeman.

Tucker doubled the lead with a two-run shot into the Braves' dugout in the sixth inning with Muncy adding a solo homer two batters later.

Ozzie Albies belted a two-run homer for the Braves to slice the deficit to 5-3 in the ninth inning before the Dodgers closed it out.

The game was one of four second-round series openers on Saturday.

In Florida, Rasmussen held the Yankees without a hit through eight and two-thirds innings.

Yankees catcher Austin Wells broke up his bid for just the fourth no-hitter in MLB post-season history with a double down the first-base line with two out in the eighth.

But Wells's inexplicable attempt to reach third saw him thrown out on a perfect relay from Victor Mesa Jr to shortstop Taylor wells to third baseman Junior Caminero.

"Just obviously not a good decision there," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "But (the) biggest issue is just Rasmussen shutting us down."

With Yankees star Aaron Judge sidelined for the series by a nagging calf injury, New York sent slugger Giancarlo Stanton to the plate as a pinch hitter in the ninth -- his first at-bat since April.

But Rays reliever Ryan Baker retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to secure the victory.

Rasmussen struck out 10 and walked two over eight innings in front of a raucous 40,000-strong crowd at Tropicana Field to make Jonathan Aranda's third-inning home run off Gerrit Cole stand up.

"Honestly my heartbeat was about a thousand beats a minute," Rasmussen said. "I just let (catcher) Liam (Hicks) call the game and did my best to try and execute the pitches he called."

- White Sox top Guardians -

The Chicago White Sox, fueled by a two-run home run from Munetaka Murakami, beat the Guardians 3-0 in Cleveland for a 1-0 lead in their AL division series.

Murakami belted his first MLB post-season homer to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, launching a pitch from Parker Messick 440 feet to the right-field seats at Progressive Field.

The towering shot also scored Miguel Vargas, who had singled to left field to open the frame.

After three straight seasons with 100 or more defeats the White Sox finished the regular season with an 84-74 record, snagging the sixth seed in the American League and ousting the Houston Astros in two games in the Wild Card round.

Cleveland had their chances, leaving the bases loaded in both the third and fourth innings.

The Milwaukee Brewers, top seeds in the National League after winning 103 regular-season games, host the surging San Diego Padres in Saturday's late game.

P.Ho--ThChM