The Braves needed a bullpen game, with Chris Sale out and two Cy Young winners staring them down in the NLDS. But they didn’t just tie up the series at one game apiece with a 3-2 win in Dodger Stadium; they did it thanks to a pitcher whose journey is straight out of a movie script, and who managed to out-duel a two-time Cy Young Award winner. This dude’s story is wild, and it’s proof that sometimes, the biggest underdog delivers the biggest punch.
Ray Kerr’s October Is Here, Y’all
Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, was on the mound for the Dodgers. Across from him was Ray Kerr, a guy who attended junior college. You’d think that’s a mismatch, right? Wrong. Kerr, who found out he was starting Sunday’s bullpen game only that morning, had the coolest response ever: “I was like, ‘All right, let’s get it. Just another Sunday, right?’” And it looked exactly that way. The man calmly handled the high-pressure stakes, departing the game with a 1-0 lead. It’s truly Ray Kerr’s October, and we’re just living in it! Weiss, whoever he is, said it best, “Ray Kerr is amazing, man. He did it again.”
His journey to this moment? Unbelievable. This 32-year-old grew up in foster care, went to junior college, became academically ineligible, and figured his life might just be working at a 7-Eleven and a movie theater in Reno, Nevada. But he got back to another community college, pitched well, killed it in an Alaska summer league, and guess what? Our own Mariners noticed him, signed him to a minor-league deal, and he started climbing that pro ladder. After a two-year hiatus following Tommy John surgery, he returned to a big-league mound this year for the first time since 2024. He’d made nine regular-season appearances for the Braves, started the deciding Game 3 of the wild-card series, and outdueled the Phillies’ Aaron Nola with 3.1 scoreless innings. For his encore in Game 2 of the NLDS, he was only expected to go an inning or two. Instead, he outpitched Snell over 2.2 scoreless innings, striking out four batters and setting the stage for the Braves’ upset. As catcher Drake Baldwin put it, “That was a huge start, or open, or whatever you call it, in two huge games for us. It says a lot about him.”
Dodgers’ “Impenetrable” Rotation Hits a Wall
The Dodgers’ rotation was supposed to be, like, impenetrable, indomitable, unconquerable. Yet, Sunday night showed us otherwise. Dodgers deadline acquisition Tarik Skubal came “as advertised” in Game 1, but Blake Snell just couldn’t pick up where he left off. Snell couldn’t find the zone in his short outing, and the Braves patiently waited him out. The high-powered Dodgers offense was held to just one run until the ninth inning. Then, with two outs, Max Muncy cut his team’s deficit in half with a solo shot off reliever Didier Fuentes. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, down to his last out, brought in rookie Josue De Paula for his first career playoff appearance. The Braves answered with closer Raisel Iglesias, who got the pop-up to seal the 3-2 win. The series is tied, and that “unconquerable” vibe around the Dodgers’ pitching? It just took a major hit.
Now the series heads back to Atlanta all tied up at one game apiece. Who knows what October magic Ray Kerr has left in his arm, but after that performance, anything feels possible. The Dodgers have to figure out how to bounce back, because the Braves just showed them they’re not backing down. This series just got *really* interesting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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