While chaos was breaking loose in every other Wild Card series, the Los Angeles Dodgers showed zero interest in messing around. Despite falling into an early 2-0 deficit in Game 2 against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night, Mookie Betts and the Dodgers bats would not be denied, banging out X total hits en route to a XX-XX win.
That sealed a sweep for L.A., and punched the team's ticket to the NLDS for the 13th consecutive year. It hasn't been as smooth as fans expected, but the Dodgers appear to be playing their best baseball at the right time — with Mookie Betts finally heating up and Shohei Ohtani starring both on the mound and at the plate.
But the road to a repeat will only get tougher from here. While the Reds were an overmatched team that won just 83 games during the regular season, the competition is about to ratchet up considerably. Here's everything to know about who the Dodgers will face in the Divisional Round.
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Updated MLB playoff bracket: Who will Dodgers face in NLDS?
Because MLB doesn't reseed after each playoff round, the Dodgers' opponent in the NLDS was set before the series even began: Los Angeles will head to Philadelphia this weekend to take on the No. 2 seed Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
- NLDS 1: No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 4 Chicago Cubs/No. 5 San Diego Padres
- NLDS 2: No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB released dates, times and viewing info for the first two days of the Divisional Round. The entirety of the Dodgers-Phillies NLDS will be broadcast on TBS, truTV and HBO Max, but just when Game 1 will begin is still a bit up in the air. If the New York Yankees advance in Game 3 of their Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, first pitch between L.A. and Philly will be set for 6:38 p.m. ET/3:38 p.m. PT.
2025 NLDS schedule if Yankees advance
Game | Date | Time | Location | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Game 1 | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 6:38 p.m. ET/3:38 p.m. PT | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
Game 2 | Monday, Oct. 6 | TBD | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
Game 3 | Wednesday, Oct. 8 | TBD | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
Game 4* | Thursday, Oct. 9 | TBD | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
Game 5* | Saturday, Oct. 11 | TBD | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
*if necessary
If the Red Sox advance, however, things will be bumped up a little bit, with first pitch at 6:08 p.m. ET/3:08 p.m. PT.
2025 NLDS schedule if Red Sox advance
Game | Date | Time | Location | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Game 1 | Saturday, Oct. 4 | 6:08 p.m. ET/3:08 p.m. PT | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
Game 2 | Monday, Oct. 6 | TBD | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
Game 3 | Wednesday, Oct. 8 | TBD | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
Game 4* | Thursday, Oct. 9 | TBD | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
Game 5* | Saturday, Oct. 11 | TBD | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | TBS/truTV/HBO Max |
*if necessary
It's hard to overstate the potential for drama this series presents. Some of the biggest names and personalities in the sport will be taking part, from Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber on one side to Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman on the other. Oh, and both teams will rightfully feel like they have everything it takes to win a World Series this season.
In short: Get your popcorn ready. But just who has the edge in this heavyweight fight? Let's see what recent history has to say.
Who won the season series between the Dodgers and Phillies in 2025?
Los Angeles and Philadelphia have played six times this year, with two series bookending the regular season — one in Philly in the first week of April, and another at Dodger Stadium in mid-September. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the Phillies came out ahead both times, though pretty much every game has been close.
Philadelphia scored a couple of one-run wins en route to scoring a series win in the first matchup, then came into Los Angeles and took the first two of the rematch — part of a 15 wins in 19 games stretch that wrapped up not just the NL East but a first-round bye come playoff time. Unsurprisingly, Philly's lineup wore out the Dodgers bullpen, particularly in the September series: Of the 15 total runs the Phillies scored in their two wins, 14 of them came in the sixth inning or later, and 12 came against relievers.
Dodgers-Phillies postseason history
It should come as no surprise that these two storied NL franchises have plenty of postseason history, with five total meetings between them.
Year | Round | Result |
|---|---|---|
2009 | NLCS | Phillies in 5 |
2008 | NLCS | Phillies in 5 |
1983 | NLCS | Phillies in 4 |
1978 | NLCS | Dodgers in 4 |
1977 | NLCS | Dodgers in 4 |
The first two came back in the late 1970s, where Tommy Lasorda's Dodgers twice dispatched the Phillies in four games in the NLCS (which was a best-of-five back then) to advance to the World Series. The Phillies got some measure of revenge a few years later, when Steve Carlton (just one run allowed in 13.2 innings across two starts, both wins) and Gary Matthews (a 1.571 OPS, including a three-run homer to open the scoring in the decisive Game 4) carried the team to its second Fall Classic appearance in a four-year span.
From there, it would be a full quarter-century until the two met in October again. The teams squared off in the NLCS in both 2008 and 2009, and both times it was Philly emerging with a dramatic five-game win. Those series gave us more than their fair share of iconic moments, from Matt Stairs' pinch-hit homer to Jimmy Rollins' walk-off double. What will this year's version have in store? We can't wait to find out.