The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t just beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night—they convinced one of Southern California’s most influential voices that October is about to belong to them again.
After a 4–3 victory in Game 2 of the NLDS, Los Angeles Times columnist Dylan Hernández wrote that “this is over,” calling the Dodgers’ return to the World Series all but inevitable. It was less prediction than proclamation: a declaration that, after stealing two games at Citizens Bank Park, the defending champions have already conquered their toughest obstacle on the road to another title.
The Dodgers now lead the best-of-five series 2–0, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to start Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. Win Wednesday, and they punch another ticket to the NLCS. Hernández believes they’ll do more than that—he believes they’ll go all the way.
‘This Is Over’: Confidence Born in Chaos
Few expected the Dodgers to silence Philadelphia the way they did. Blake Snell threw six scoreless innings, Will Smith ripped a two-run single, and Shohei Ohtani added an insurance run before the bullpen nearly unraveled in the ninth. What could have been a collapse instead became the defining moment of the postseason.
“The Dodgers demonstrated they still have that championship something that no other team in baseball has,” Hernández wrote, praising the composure that carried Los Angeles through a nearly disastrous finish.
Manager Dave Roberts agreed the team’s grit showed through. “Guys are really stepping up,” he told reporters. Blake Snell was dominant, Emmet Sheehan handled two key innings, and the defense of Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and Miguel Rojas kept the Phillies off the board when it mattered most.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, looked like a team running out of answers. Bryce Harper struck out in a critical sixth-inning at-bat, and Citizens Bank Park—known for swallowing visiting teams whole—turned quiet enough for boos to echo with every missed opportunity.
“The nervous tension in the stadium quickly morphed into unbridled frustration,” Hernández observed. “The Phillies’ lineup was unable to do anything against Snell.”
Dodgers on Cruise Control to October Glory
For Hernández, this wasn’t simply another postseason win. It was proof that Los Angeles has rediscovered the balance, depth, and swagger that eluded them early in the year. The same bullpen that nearly imploded Monday now looks anchored by rookie Roki Sasaki, who recorded the final out to preserve the win after Treinen and Vesia flirted with disaster.
The Dodgers didn’t win 120 games in the regular season or claim a first-round bye. They entered October with questions about their relief corps and health. But two convincing road wins over the Phillies changed the narrative from vulnerable to inevitable.
“They won’t blow the two-games-to-none lead,” Hernández wrote, insisting that Milwaukee and Chicago—potential NLCS opponents—don’t have the “firepower necessary to take down these Dodgers.”
The confidence inside the clubhouse matches the tone outside it. “To get two in this environment is obviously massive,” Freddie Freeman said. “You can’t understate it.”
Now the series returns to Dodger Stadium, where Yamamoto will take the mound with a chance to sweep. If Hernández is right, that game could mark not only the end of the Phillies’ season but also the start of another deep October run for baseball’s most complete roster.
Because after everything that’s happened—the injuries, the bullpen chaos, the questions—the Dodgers have reclaimed the one thing every contender fears: inevitability.
The Los Angeles Times says they’re World Series bound. The rest of baseball might soon agree.
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