Defending World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 to advance in the Major League Baseball playoffs on Wednesday, as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 4-3 with the help of a fan interference call for a three-game sweep of their American League Division Series.

Andy Pages put prior post-season disappointments behind him to deliver a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh inning for the Dodgers, who completed a 3-1 victory over the Braves in the best-of-five National League Division Series.

Max Muncy added an insurance run in the ninth with his third homer of the series.

The score was tied at 1 in game four when Braves starting pitcher Tyler Mahle opened the seventh by retiring Los Angeles star Shohei Ohtani but was pulled for rookie Didier Fuentes after giving up a single to Teoscar Hernandez.

Fernandez recorded one out but walked two to load the bases with two outs.

The Braves sent in Robert Suarez to face Pages, who stroked a fastball up the middle for the Dodgers' first hit with runners in scoring position in the series.

The Dodgers are aiming to become the first team since the New York Yankees in 1998, 1999 and 2000 to win three straight World Series titles.

The Rays reached the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020.

After Victor Mesa Jr.'s two-run homer gave them a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning in game three, Anthony Volpe of the Yankees appeared to hit a two-run shot against Griffin Jax with two outs in the bottom half as a fan reached over the left-field wall and caught the ball over the glove of a leaping Mesa.

A video review determined the ball would not have been over the wall and would not have been caught by Mesa.

Volpe was awarded an RBI double and George Lombard Jr. was allowed to score from first.

That was as close as New York would get.

The Rays will meet either the Chicago White Sox or the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Championship Series.

In Chicago, Cleveland's Jose Ramirez and Jo Adell struck run-scoring triples to power the Guardians' to a 9-3 triumph over the White Sox in game three of their division series.

With Cleveland facing elimination after dropping two straight at home, Ramirez went two-for-four at the plate with a double, a triple, two runs batted in, two runs scored and a stolen base.

"The approach was to get on base, try to put pressure on the other team with my speed, and make something happen. Thank God all those things came out well," said Ramirez. (AFP & AP)



Edited by Nazvi Careem