The Philadelphia Phillies' playoff dreams are officially shattered, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers with a wide-open highway to the World Series glory. But here's where it gets controversial—could this dominance be masking some underlying weaknesses that fans are overlooking?
PHILADELPHIA—It's all wrapped up from this vantage point.
Yet, for the Dodgers (https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers), this marks the thrilling launch of something extraordinary.
That's because the Dodgers are gearing up to return to the World Series (https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2024-10-20/complete-coverage-dodgers-2024-world-series-playoff-run).
Sure, they still need to wrap up their National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies (https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-10-01/dodgers-phillies-nlds-nine-concerns-mlb-postseason). And they'll have to conquer the NL Championship Series too.
But make no mistake—they're going to pull it off.
They'll succeed because they won't squander their commanding two-games-to-none advantage, secured after their narrow 4-3 triumph (https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-10-06/dodgers-scoring-spree-blake-snell-phillies-nlds-game-2) over the Phillies in Monday's Game 2 of this best-of-five showdown.
They'll prevail because neither the Milwaukee Brewers nor the Chicago Cubs possess the offensive punch to challenge these Dodgers in the upcoming round.
This season, the Phillies posed the same formidable barrier to the Dodgers as the San Diego Padres did last year—they were the primary hurdle. Now, the path back to World Series contention is nearly unobstructed.
The Dodgers could officially send the Phillies packing as early as Wednesday, and they absolutely should.
Game 3 is set to unfold at Dodger Stadium.
Their ace pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-09-06/dodgers-orioles-yoshinobu-yamamoto-near-no-hitter), will take the mound.
It's time to summon a priest—or perhaps a Padre, in a nod to their rivals. The moment has arrived to deliver the Phillies' final rites.
The Dodgers fell short of clinching 120 wins (https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-02-11/dodgers-hernandez), and their regular-season performance was lackluster, which is why they missed out on the first-round byes that went to the Phillies and Brewers. They entered the playoffs with a bullpen that inspired little confidence, and that very bullpen almost frittered away a four-run lead in Game 2.
But by snagging two victories at Citizens Bank Park, the Dodgers showcased that elusive championship quality that sets them apart from every other team in baseball.
And this is the part most people miss—that intangible edge shone through on Monday night in Blake Snell's (https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-09-29/dodgers-blake-snell-mlb-postseason-starting-pitching) six scoreless innings, Teoscar Hernández's daring slide to score on Kike Hernández's slow grounder, Will Smith's game-breaking two-run hit, and Shohei Ohtani's clutch RBI single. It was evident in the two innings pitched by reliever-turned-starter Emmet Sheehan, plus the heroic defensive stops by Miguel Rojas, Max Muncy, and Mookie Betts.
The Phillies lack this special spark, and the championship opportunity that Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber helped open might now be slamming shut. They clearly sensed this urgency, which explains why Phillies manager Rob Thomson didn't mince words about Game 2's significance.
In fact, Thomson underscored its criticality by mentioning that Ranger Suárez and Aaron Nola could step in as relievers.
Both Suárez and Nola were potential starters for Game 3.
“This is a crucial matchup tonight,” Thomson remarked. “We've emphasized all season the importance of winning series, noting how the opener sets the tone. But in a five- or seven-game series, the second game becomes a pivotal swing contest.”
Thomson was poised to unleash Suárez in a high-stakes scenario and had Nola ready for extra innings if needed.
“And we'll sort out Game 3,” he added.
The home crowd grasped the high stakes. Citizens Bank Park was electric for Game 1, but the atmosphere for Game 2 felt noticeably subdued.
That anxious energy soon gave way to outright exasperation as the Phillies' bats went silent against Snell.
Boos erupted when batting champion Trea Turner fanned in the third. More jeers followed when Brandon Marsh was nabbed stealing on Snell's pickoff to close the inning. Additional boos rang out as Alec Bohm struck out to end the fourth.
Snell's first hit allowed came with two outs in the fifth—a soft single to center by Edmundo Sosa. The next batter, Marsh, grounded out. Cue more boos.
How on edge were Phillies supporters? When a public-address announcement warned about streakers, followed by a shirtless Philly Phanatic dashing across the outfield before the sixth, the fans barely reacted. Baseball's most famous mascot was utterly ignored.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers struggled early against Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo. Mookie Betts got a hit and Teoscar Hernández drew a walk in back-to-back at-bats in the first, but Luzardo then retired the next 17 Dodgers in a row.
The Phillies finally tested Snell in the sixth when Turner and Kyle Schwarber earned consecutive one-out walks. Next up: Harper, the two-time NL MVP.
In nearly any other postseason scenario, manager Dave Roberts (https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-06-11/dodgers-padres-dave-roberts) might have signaled for a bullpen call. But Roberts refused to pull Snell, especially given his relievers' volatility.
Snell fanned Harper and induced a forceout from Bohm. The score stayed tied at zero.
Teoscar Hernández legged out a single and Freddie Freeman smacked a double to kick off the seventh, putting Thomson in the same tough spot Roberts had faced. Thomson erred—not in yanking Luzardo, but in his replacement choice. With closer Jhoan Duran at his disposal, he opted for Orion Kerkering.
With runners on second and third, Kerkering struck out Tommy Edman for the first out. Then Kike Hernández chopped a slow grounder to short, and Teoscar Hernández outran Turner's throw to the plate for the game's opening run. Muncy drew a walk to jam the bases, paving the way for Smith's two-run base hit. Ohtani, who had gone hitless in his prior seven at-bats in the series, laced a single to right for an extra insurance RBI.
The Dodgers were in the driver's seat.
To delve deeper, check out more related reads.
But let's stir the pot a bit: Is it fair to write off the Phillies so soon, or could a miraculous comeback change the narrative? And what about the Dodgers' bullpen woes—do they really have that 'championship something,' or is it just hype? Do you agree with Roberts' decision to stick with Snell, or should he have played it safer? Share your opinions in the comments—let's debate!
