Dodgers chase Braves' Wright during record 11-run first inning
The Atlanta Braves' pitching staff was roughed up for the first time this postseason - and it happened in historic fashion.
Starter Kyle Wright failed to get out of the first inning in Game 3 of the NLCS, allowing seven runs to the Los Angeles Dodgers in only two-thirds of an inning before being removed. By the time the frame ended with left-hander Grant Dayton on the mound, the Dodgers had scored 11 runs, the most in any one inning in postseason history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Every L.A. hitter reached base once during the historic frame, and all nine scored at least one run. Joc Pederson and Edwin Rios took Wright deep on consecutive pitches, and Max Muncy provided the exclamation point with a grand slam off Dayton that scored the record 11th run.
That escalated quickly!
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 14, 2020
A recap of the @Dodgers historic 11-run first inning: pic.twitter.com/SMbqtalOgf
The previous playoff record for runs in an inning was 10, which has been done multiple times. It was most recently accomplished by the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of last year's NLDS against the Braves - giving Atlanta a dubious distinction as the only franchise to allow 10 runs in multiple innings in playoff history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
The Dodgers also became the first team to homer three times in the first inning of a playoff game, according to YES Network's James Smyth.
Wright allowed five of the Dodgers' seven first-inning runs during his brief outing and saw his postseason ERA spike to 94.50. He's the fifth starting pitcher in playoff history to allow six-plus runs in a start of less than one inning, according to Langs.
Kyle Wright's inherited runner scored. He actually allowed more runs in 2/3 of an inning than the entire Braves team did in their first 64 innings.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 14, 2020
And as I was tweeting this, the Dodgers scored another on a wild pitch. It's 8-0. This is like G5 of last year's DS all over again.
"I want to learn from (this start)," Wright said postgame, according to Fox Sports Braves. "If I just push it away than I'm not gonna get any better.
"You can feel sorry for yourself or find a way to bounce back. I'm taking whatever I can from that one and learning and being better for the next outing is what I'm going to do."
Prior to Wednesday, pitching was the driving force behind the Braves' postseason success in 2020. They recorded shutouts in four of their first five playoff wins and scored first in all of their contests before Game 3. The inning spiked Atlanta's team ERA from 1.61 to 3.04.
Cody Bellinger added another Dodgers home run in the top of the second inning to give L.A. a 12-0 lead. The Dodgers went on to win 15-3 and trail 2-1 in the series.