Dodgers Crushed in NLDS Game 3 as Clayton Kershaw Gets Rocked, Bats Disappear

Oct 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) reacts after giving up a home run during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game three of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-2, on Wednesday night and now lead them 2-1 in the National League Division Series. LA will be back at it again on Thursday with Tyler Glasnow set to take the mound.

The final score wouldn't indicate the energy felt at Dodger Stadium ahead of first pitch with a chance to punch a ticket to the NL Championship Series, but it certainly reflected the deflation felt as the devastation went on.

More news: Dodgers' Dave Roberts Called Out for Questionable Blake Treinen Decision

The excitement started with a Mookie Betts triple in the first inning followed by Freddie Freeman getting hit by a pitch to get runners on the corners for All-Star catcher Will Smith, making his first start of the postseason. But he struck out looking to end the first inning.

The fireworks started in the third inning with a Tommy Edman solo shot, but the Phillies answered back in the fourth inning with a solo shot of their own via Kyle Schwarber, the NL's home run leader.

The Phillies added two more runs before the inning was over, as the Dodgers took a 3-1 deficit into the bottom of the fourth.

LA left two men on in the fourth, and Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was knocked out of the game before recording an out in the fifth. The right-hander's final stat line included four innings, six hits, three earned runs, two strikeouts and a walk.

More news: Dodgers Have Never Practiced Defensive Play That Saved NLDS Game 2

Southpaw Anthony Banda replaced Yamamoto in the fifth after allowing back-to-back singles, and got out of the inning unscathed, striking out two.

Jack Dreyer pitched a hitless sixth inning, and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw entered the game in the seventh. He'd allow a single, walk, and an intentional walk, but got out of the inning unscatched.

Kershaw returned for the eighth inning, but that is where the game officially got out of hand for LA.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto hit a solo shot on the second pitch he saw. After a walk and an error from Max Muncy, former Dodger Trea Turner scored two runs off a single, increasing the lead to 6-1. Immediately after, Schwarber hit a home run on the first pitch Kershaw offered him, pushing the Phillies up 8-1.

Tommy Edman snuck a ball by Turner with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lessen the lead to six runs, but the final score of Game 3 remained 8-2.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.