PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — In a dramatic reversal fueled by a seventh-inning blast from Teoscar Hernández, the Los Angeles Dodgers overcame a shaky offensive night from their two-way star Shohei Ohtani to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night.

A sellout crowd of 45,777 at Citizens Bank Park watched the reigning World Series champions erase a three-run deficit with a late-inning surge, seizing the early advantage in the best-of-five playoff series.

The game was a tense pitching duel for much of the evening, defined by the starters’ dominance. Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez was brilliant, holding the potent Dodgers lineup to just two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked one, effectively neutralizing Los Angeles for the first two-thirds of the game.

His counterpart, Ohtani, was nearly as effective on the mound but was let down by a single inning of misfortune. The Dodgers’ ace racked up nine strikeouts over six innings of work, allowing three runs on just three hits. However, all three of those runs came in a decisive second inning for the Phillies.

After a quiet first inning from both sides, the Phillies broke through in the bottom of the second. Alec Bohm worked a leadoff walk and Brandon Marsh followed with a sharp single to center. J.T. Realmuto then delivered the biggest blow of the early game, lacing a triple to center field that scored both Bohm and Marsh. Realmuto then came home himself on a sacrifice fly from Harrison Bader, staking Philadelphia to an early 3-0 lead.

For five innings, that lead looked secure as Sánchez and Ohtani traded zeros. Ohtani, however, was having a night to forget at the plate, striking out in each of his first three at-bats as the Dodgers’ offense remained dormant.

The momentum began to shift in the top of the sixth. With Sánchez still on the mound, Freddie Freeman drew a two-out walk. Tommy Edman followed with a single, and Enrique Hernández delivered a crucial two-run double to left field, cutting the Phillies’ lead to 3-2 and chasing Sánchez from the game.

The Dodgers completed their comeback an inning later against the Philadelphia bullpen. Andy Pages led off the top of the seventh with a single, and Will Smith was hit by a pitch. After Ohtani struck out for his fourth consecutive time and Mookie Betts popped out, Teoscar Hernández stepped to the plate against reliever Matt Strahm.

On a 1-1 count, Hernández connected, sending a towering fly ball to right-center field that cleared the fence for a three-run home run, stunning the Philadelphia crowd and giving the Dodgers their first lead of the night at 5-3.

The Dodgers’ bullpen took over from there, preserving the lead with dominant relief work. Tyler Glasnow recorded two key strikeouts over 1 2/3 scoreless innings, Alex Vesia got a vital out, and rookie flamethrower Roki Sasaki worked a scoreless ninth inning, stranding the tying run on third base to secure the save.

Ohtani, despite his four-strikeout performance at the plate, was credited with the win, improving his season record to 2-1. David Robertson, who was on the mound for the Hernández home run, took the loss for Philadelphia, falling to 2-1. Sasaki earned his first save of the season.

The victory gives the Dodgers a 1-0 series lead as both teams, who finished the regular season with 96 wins, continue their postseason pursuit. The teams will have a day off Sunday before resuming the series with Game 2 on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.