Dodgers Win Game 1; Kershaw Left Off Roster

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 in Game 1 of the NL wild-card series, matching a franchise postseason record with five home runs as Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández each hit two while Blake Snell allowed two runs with nine strikeouts across seven innings. The Dodgers' bullpen looked vulnerable in the eighth, when three relievers combined for a messy inning that included four walks (two with the bases loaded). Yoshinobu Yamamoto is scheduled to start Game 2, and the Dodgers lead the series 1-0 and need one more win to advance. Los Angeles submitted a 26-man Wild Card roster that leaves Clayton Kershaw and Anthony Banda off and benches Michael Conforto for defensive/infield flexibility, with Gus Varland and relievers Ryan Yarbrough and Emmet Sheehan among bullpen options. Rookie Roki Sasaki, back from a shoulder impingement after two strong late-season relief outings, is expected to be on the postseason roster, and the club must balance short-term October needs with roster-substitution limits.