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Didier Fuentes Makes MLB History During Atlanta Braves Win
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- Didier Fuentes Makes MLB History During Atlanta Braves Win
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)
The Atlanta Braves evened the National League Division Series with a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. The 21-year-old right-hander Didier Fuentes was one of the main reasons Atlanta pulled off the upset.
Fuentes entered in the sixth inning and retired 11 straight batters, giving Atlanta the shutdown performance it needed to leave Los Angeles with the series tied.
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He made MLB history in the process. Opta STATS posted on X that the streak was the longest by a reliever age 21 or younger in a postseason game in MLB history. No reliever that young had retired 11 consecutive batters in a regular-season game since Tom Gordon did it for the Kansas City Royals back in 1989.
Fuentes worked 3 2/3 innings and allowed just one run, a solo homer by Max Muncy with two outs in the ninth that ended the streak.
By then, he had already done his job for Atlanta. He had kept the Dodgers off the board long enough for the Braves to protect a small lead and walk out of Dodger Stadium with a split.
Fuentes has become one of Walt Weiss' most trusted bullpen options this year. Fuentes went 7-2 with a 2.45 ERA, 92 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP across 73 1/3 innings in 58 appearances during the regular season.
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He dealt with right shoulder inflammation that cut his 2025 season short, but came back healthy at spring training and never looked back. His fastball also gained a tick of velocity against Los Angeles, making him nearly unhittable.
The Braves also needed every out he recorded. Chris Sale was given extra rest after pitching twice during the wild card series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta leaned on its bullpen for Game 2.
Ray Kerr opened the game and delivered 2 2/3 scoreless innings before the Braves handed it to the rest of the staff. Fuentes made sure it held once he took over.
The win gives Atlanta home-field advantage back in the series. The Braves finished 94-68 to win the NL East while the Dodgers went 100-62 to take the NL West and the No. 2 seed in the NL.
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The series now shifts to Truist Park tied at one game apiece, with Sale scheduled to start Game 3. Fuentes made history Sunday night. Now he has a chance to help the Braves make more of it. With two more wins, Atlanta can dethrone the Dodgers.
