2025 N.L. DIVISION SERIES #1

GAME #1 – Tobias Myers  13-9  (2.59) vs. Chris Sale  18-5  (2.27)

Sacramento erupted in the bottom of the first, quickly erasing an early Columbus lead. A. McCutchen opened the game with a leadoff double, and B. Donovan’s bloop single brought him home to put the Explorers up 1–0. The Capitals responded immediately: K. Carpenter’s two-run double tied it, F. Lindor followed with a two-run homer, and L. Garcia added another two-run shot to make it 5–1 before the inning ended.
T. Myers struggled to contain Sacramento’s lineup, exiting after just 1⅔ innings. Columbus threatened at times, but Sacramento’s bullpen, led by M. Kopech, shut the door. The Capitals added insurance runs in the fifth and then broke the game open in the eighth, highlighted by RBI hits from M. Busch, E. Clement, and M. Massey, building a 9–1 advantage.
Sacramento’s combination of early power, timely hitting, and strong pitching set the tone for the series and left Columbus with plenty to do in Game 2.

Sacramento 9 – Columbus 1

Win: Chris Sale  1-0  (1.29)
Loss: Tobias Myers  0-1  (27.00)

GAME #2 – David Peterson  9-6  (2.75) vs. Shota Imanaga  24-3  (1.93)

Sacramento’s pitching dominated again as the Capitals edged the Explorers 1–0 in a pitchers’ duel. S. Imanaga carried the Capitals through seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out four before exiting with the game still tied. Columbus threatened sporadically, but the Sacramento defense held firm.
The lone run came in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Stephenson doubled off J. King, putting the go-ahead runner in scoring position. B. Rooker delivered a clutch single to center, allowing Stephenson to score easily and break the stalemate. F. Lindor followed with a single but the Explorers’ bullpen shut down the rest of the inning.
C. Estevez worked a perfect ninth for the save, fanning two to preserve the win. Sacramento’s pitching and opportunistic hitting once again proved the Capitals are in control of this series.

Sacramento 2 – Columbus 1

Win: Trevor Megill  1-0  (0.00)
Loss: John King  0-1  (5.40)
Save: Carlos Estevez #1

GAME #3 – Tyler Glasnow  16-3  (2.30) vs. Javier Assad 11-7 (3.09)

Columbus held on for a nail-biting 1–0 victory over Sacramento as both starters put on a masterful pitching showcase. J. Assad kept the Explorers in the game, scattering six hits over eight innings with four strikeouts, but Tyler Glasnow was equally sharp for the Capitals, allowing just two hits and striking out eight over seven and a third innings. Both bullpens were impeccable, with Tim Herrin ultimately closing the door in the ninth.
The only run of the game came in the second inning. T. Glasnow issued walks to B. Donovan and N. Lukes, and DJ LeMahieu followed with a timely hit to bring the go-ahead run home. Despite Sacramento loading the bases in the ninth, Donovan’s slick fielding on a double-play grounder ended the threat and sealed the victory.
Sacramento now takes a 2–1 series lead behind dominant pitching and timely hitting, leaving Columbus searching for ways to ignite their offense.

Columbus 1 – Sacramento 0

Win: Javier Assad 1-0  (0.00)
Loss: Tyler Glasnow  0-1  (1.23)
Save: Tim Herrin #1

GAME #4 – Chris Sale  18-5  (2.27) vs. Clarke Schmidt  9-5  (2.63)

Sacramento wasted no time jumping on C. Schmidt, as J. Profar’s leadoff single set the table for M. Busch, who blasted a two-run homer to right. K. Carpenter later tripled and came home on a sac fly from F. Lindor, giving the Capitals a 3–0 cushion before Columbus even batted. Lindor struck again in the third with an RBI double, and M. Vientos added a two-run homer in the sixth to stretch the lead to 6–2.
Chris Sale was sharp, holding the Explorers hitless through three innings and limiting them to a pair of runs across seven solid frames. Columbus showed life in the fifth when J. Triolo belted a two-run shot to left, but that was all they could muster. Carlos Estevez took it from there, closing the door with two perfect innings of relief to lock down the win.
Sacramento’s balanced attack and strong pitching performance now has them firmly in command of the series.

Sacramento 6 – Columbus 2

Win: Chris Sale  2-0  (1.93)
Loss: Clarke Schmidt  0-1  (7.71)

GAME #5 – Shota Imanaga  24-3  (1.93) vs. Tobias Myers  13-9  (2.59)

Sacramento struck first in the fourth when K. Carpenter ripped a triple down the right-field line, scoring M. Busch to give the Capitals a 1–0 edge. That slim lead held for much of the night as S. Imanaga worked through traffic, punching out seven and stranding the tying run in scoring position on multiple occasions—including a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. But the Explorers’ persistence finally broke through late.
In the eighth, Columbus loaded the bases against the bullpen, and M. Andújar tied the game with a sharp single to left. A wild throw allowed a second run to score, flipping the lead. Moments later, J. Rojas laced a triple into the gap, clearing the bases and breaking the game wide open. That four-run outburst erased Sacramento’s momentum and electrified the home crowd.
T. Myers was outstanding, striking out nine over eight innings while yielding just two hits. T. Herrin closed it out in the ninth despite a brief two-out rally, securing Columbus’s second win of the series

Columbus 4 – Sacramento 1

Win: Tobias Myers  1-1 (5.59)
Loss: Enoli Paredes  0-1 (-.–)
Save: Tim Herrin #2

GAME #6 – David Peterson  9-6  (2.75) vs. Lance Lynn  7-5  (3.61)

The Explorers struck quickly in the second inning. N. Lukes singled, D. Varsho drew a walk, and D. LeMahieu drove a single through the right side to bring home Lukes for the first run. J. Triolo followed with a sacrifice fly to center, pushing Varsho across and giving Columbus an early 2–0 lead. That cushion proved valuable as D. Peterson settled into a groove, working out of early traffic and keeping the Capitals off the board through five innings.
Sacramento finally broke through in the sixth when M. Vientos turned on a fastball from E. Díaz, crushing a solo homer to cut the deficit in half. But the Explorers answered in the eighth as J. McCarthy launched a towering solo shot to left-center, restoring the two-run margin. Sacramento mounted a threat in the eighth, putting two on with two outs, but B. Honeywell induced a popup to escape trouble. T. Herrin closed the door in the ninth, working a clean inning to secure the win.
With the 3–1 victory, Columbus forced a decisive Game 7, riding clutch hitting and a stingy bullpen performance to stay alive in the series.

Columbus 3 – Sacramento 1

Win: David Peterson  1-0  (0.00)
Loss: Lance Lynn  0-1  (9.00)
Save: Tim Herrin #3

GAME #7 – Javier Assad 11-7 (3.09) vs. Tyler Glasnow  16-3  (2.30)

Columbus struck first in the second when D. Varsho laced a triple into right-center, scoring B. Donovan for a 1–0 lead. But Sacramento answered with authority in the third. M. Busch and J. Profar reached ahead of T. Stephenson, who launched a three-run homer to left to swing the momentum and put the Capitals up 3–1.
The decisive blow came in the fifth. Sacramento loaded the bases, and K. Carpenter delivered the series’ signature moment — a towering grand slam to right that sent the home crowd into a frenzy and stretched the lead to 7–1. Columbus battled back in the seventh with back-to-back doubles from A. McCutchen and O. Arcia and later added a run on a wild pitch, trimming the deficit to 7–3. But the Capitals’ bullpen held firm, with A. Vesia and C. Estevez shutting down the 7th and 8th innings, allowing the Capitals to use the 9th to ease the itchies before the NLCS.
With a 7–3 victory in the deciding game, Sacramento captured the series, powered by clutch hitting and a dominant pitching effort to seal their championship run.

Sacramento 8 – Columbus 3

Win: Tyler Glasnow  1-1 (1.35)
Loss: Javier Assad  0-1  (4.38)