Blazing triple-digit heat bears down on Braves-Dodgers NLDS opener in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers kept their cool against the Atlanta Braves in the second-hottest postseason game at Dodger Stadium.

Shade was at a premium Saturday for Game 1 of the National League Division Series, which began at 1 p.m. local time. The game-time temperature of 100 degrees fell just short of the record of 103 degrees set in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for the fans that came out. It’s not easy,” said Tarik Skubal, who pitched the Dodgers to a 5-3 victory. “The sun was on us the entire game. Hopefully they packed some sunscreen.”

The announced attendance was 50,194, although there were plenty of empty seats with the feels-like temperature reaching 105 degrees.

“Pretty hot, pretty hot,” said Teoscar Hernández, who gave the Dodgers an early lead with a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

The Braves seemingly were unfazed by the blazing sun, cloudless skies and rising thermometer while taking pregame batting practice. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers? They stayed inside.

“Remember, we’re from Atlanta,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said before the game. “It’s not that big of a factor.”

Braves center fielder Lane Thomas added, “I feel like this is a little cooler 98 than Atlanta.”

Some of their fans agreed.

“It’s hot, but it’s not bad,” said Helen Greene of Valdosta, Georgia, who was sitting in the sun nine rows behind the visitors’ dugout with her long hair arrayed under a Braves cap. “In Atlanta, my hair would have been up by now.”

Greene and her husband, Chad, were hydrating with water.

“I’ll have beer later,” she said, smiling.

Fans still gathered in the outfield pavilions in hopes of catching a stray ball off the Braves’ bats pregame. But other seating areas were mostly empty 90 minutes before first pitch.

Christopher Hernández of Long Beach and his girlfriend sat in the sun behind the Dodgers dugout with giveaway towels covering their heads.

“We play sports and we know how it feels to be in the heat and we know how to beat the heat, too,” he said, showing off a blue plastic bottle with a fan attached to spritz water. “It’s not as bad as people think it is.”

Braves reliever Brent Suter graduated from Harvard in 2012, having majored in environmental science and public policy.

“In the back of my mind, I’m like 100 degrees in October in L.A., that’s definitely not normal,” he said before the game. “Obviously super El Niño is a big thing to do with that. It’s going to be a challenge for both sides to stay hydrated, especially the position players.”

Short heat spells in October are normal for Los Angeles, but the prolonged extreme heat warning — forecast to last at least a week — is keeping temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal. The average high in Los Angeles in early October is 81 degrees (27 degrees Celsius).

“Just making sure everyone is hydrated and staying loose and getting electrolytes in us,” said Suter, who pitched the final two innings for the Braves.

Emergency medical teams were in their usual spots around the stadium, staying alert for anticipated cases of heatstroke, dehydration, excessive sweating caused by heat exposure, and the more typical drunkenness.

The Dodgers encouraged fans to wear hats and sunscreen. They were allowed to bring in non-alcoholic drinks of one liter or less in factory-sealed plastic bottles. Empty refillable water bottles were also allowed. Bottle-filling stations and water fountains are scattered around the stadium.

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