St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game 1: Live Score, NLDS Highlights

Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t play out as expected, but it was as wild as anyone could have hoped for.

Cardinals rookie Randal Grichuk—in his postseason debut—homered off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the top of the first inning, but St. Louis didn’t get another hit until the sixth inning. Kershaw was so dominant through the first half of the game that he didn’t throw a pitch out of the stretch until the seventh inning.

Once he had to throw out of the stretch, it was a completely different game. The Cardinals had only two runs on two hits through six innings but exited the seventh inning with a 10-6 lead. 

Los Angeles was able to put the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth inning. However, Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal was able to strike out Yasiel Puig to end the game, leaving the tying run at third base.

Neither offense was able to get much going early on, but the game received a boost of energy in the third inning. Tempers flared on a hot October day when Adam Wainwright hit Puig to lead off the third. Both benches cleared, but jawing was the only thing that happened when the two sides met on the field.

It's not often that Kershaw blows a 6-1 lead, but on this night, the Cardinals offense woke up just in time to pull out a victory.

Game 1 of this NLDS series featured two 20-game winners, but the two starting pitchers combined to allow 14 runs. 

Game 2 will be played on Saturday night at 9:37 p.m. ET/6:37 p.m. PT on MLB Network

Final Score (Game 1): St. Louis Cardinals 10 - Los Angeles Dodgers 9