The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves have a couple of things in common over the last 30 years.
One commonality is star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has played for and won a World Series with both the Dodgers and Braves. Meanwhile, a recurring theme is the two teams being good at the same time and meeting in the postseason.
On that note, the Braves and Dodgers will face off in the 2026 National League Division Series starting with Game 1 on Saturday, with Los Angeles having home-field advantage in the series. This will be the sixth playoff matchup between the two franchises, with four of the five finished series coming since the decade of the 2010s.
Here’s how the Braves and Dodgers’ five playoff series have fared:
Coming off winning the 1995 World Series, the Braves were a well-oiled machine in 1996, and the Dodgers were just an object in their way.
While Los Angeles held Atlanta to just 10 runs in the 1996 NLDS, the Braves held the Dodgers to half that amount in what was a three-game sweep. John Smoltz surrendered just one run and six baserunners (four hits and two walks) over nine innings pitched for the Braves in Game 1, which required extra innings. Then, catcher Javy López led off the top of the 10th inning with a home run off Antonio Osuna, proving to be enough for the 2-1 victory.
Greg Maddux followed with seven potent innings for Atlanta in Game 2, giving up no walks or earned runs through seven innings. However, the Braves would need to flip the script in the later innings, and a pair of solo home runs in the top of the seventh from star first baseman Fred McGriff and right fielder Jermaine Dye did just that, as Atlanta would win, 3-2.
The Braves closed out the series on their home field, with left-hander Tom Glavine surrendering just one run over 6 â innings in a 5-2 victory. As for their work with the bats, McGriff brought home a run on a double in the bottom of the first and Atlanta had a four-run fourth inning that saw second baseman Mark Lemke hit a two-run double and third baseman and burgeoning superstar Chipper Jones hit a two-run home run.
Atlanta went on to win the NL pennant for a second consecutive year. Granted, the Braves blew a 2-0 series lead to the New York Yankees in the World Series.
The 2013 MLB season marked the Braves’ first NL East title in eight years, but the vibes at Turner Field were muted by the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLDS.
A pair of two-run innings in the second and third, highlighted by a two-run home run from first baseman Adrián González, and a fourth-inning RBI single from veteran second baseman Mark Ellis ultimately put the game out of reach for the Braves. Los Angeles scored a sixth run on a sixth-inning double from Hanley RamÃrez in a 6-1 win, while superstar southpaw Clayton Kershaw carved up Atlanta’s offense with 12 strikeouts over seven innings.
Atlanta bounced back in Game 2, getting a 4-3 victory that saw it fend off a late Los Angeles push which saw RamÃrez hit a two-run home run to pull the Dodgers within one run in the eighth inning. Braves left-hander Mike Minor continued to evade damage, surrendering just one run over 6 â innings, while outfielder Jason Heyward provided needed separation for Atlanta with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh.
The Braves got out to a 2-0 lead in the opening frame of Game 3, but the Dodgers would rock right-hander Julio Teherán out of the game after 2 â innings and proceed to rake the rest of the way. As part of a 13-6 win that saw the Dodgers tally 14 hits, left fielder Carl Crawford and third baseman Juan Uribe each homered, with RamÃrez and rookie sensation Yasiel Puig logging three hits apiece.
Then, Atlanta looked on track to force a Game 5, as it held a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 4. But Uribe sent Dodger Stadium into a state of delirium with a go-ahead and ultimate game and series-winning, two-run home run. Kenley Jan
