Major League Baseball

By The Numbers: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves

Published Oct. 16, 2021 11:12 a.m. ET

With a ticket to the World Series on the line for the winner, the stakes for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves couldn't be higher ahead of Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday.

Here are the numbers you need to know ahead of the face-off:

4-2: The Dodgers' record against the Braves this season. Atlanta won the first series 2-1 in June before the Dodgers swept the series in Los Angeles (Aug. 30 to Sept. 1).

1.54: The Braves' ERA in the postseason thus far, best in the playoffs. L.A.'s 1.87 is second.

5: The number of playoff matchups all time between the Dodgers and Braves. In the 2020 NLCS, the Braves led 3-1 before the Dodgers unleashed an epic comeback en route to a World Series victory. L.A. became just the 14th team to come back from a 3-1 deficit. This marks the first time since 2016-17 that an NLCS features the same teams in back-to-back seasons (Dodgers, Cubs).

15-3: Atlanta's record in its past 18 outings, since Sept. 18. The team hasn't lost by more than two runs since Aug. 28.

1999: The last time the Braves made the World Series. They lost both of their previous two NLCS appearances (2001, 2020).

15: This is the 15th time the Dodgers have made the NLCS, most of any team. Only the Yankees have more LCS appearances, with 17 ALCS qualifications. This is Los Angeles' sixth NLCS berth in the past nine seasons. The Dodgers advanced to the World Series in their past three (2017, 2018, 2020).

11: Mookie Betts has the most hits of any player through the wild card and LDS rounds this postseason. After his 4-for-4 Game 5 showing against the Giants, he's the fifth player to record four-plus hits in a clincher. Betts has reached base safely in 13 of his past 15 playoff games.

Sept. 21: The last day Kenley Jensen allowed an earned run. He has struck out eight of the 10 batters he has faced in the playoffs.

8-2: Max Fried's record since the All-Star break. Fried is sporting a 1.74 ERA in that stretch, tops in the league. He'll be on the mound for Game 1.

12: The number of postseason games in which Freddie Freeman has safely reached base. He got on base in all of the Braves' NLCS games last year, as well as in their four-game series against the Brewers this postseason.