LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — In a taut, 11-inning pitchers’ duel that defied pregame expectations, the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in their National League Division Series.

A crowd of 50,563 witnessed a classic playoff battle that saw the teams trade runs in the seventh inning before the Dodgers won it in the 11th on a costly error. The game, which lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes, was a stark contrast to the offensive explosion projected by oddsmakers, with the three total runs falling far short of the 7.5 over/under line.

The contest was defined by stellar pitching, starting with a marquee matchup between Dodgers ace Tyler Glasnow and Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez. Both starters were brilliant, keeping the game scoreless into the seventh inning.

Glasnow was dominant over six shutout frames, allowing just two hits and striking out eight. He consistently worked out of any potential trouble, with the Phillies’ only early threat coming in the first inning when Kyle Schwarber led off with a double. Glasnow stranded him there, setting a tone of frustration for the Philadelphia offense.

Sánchez was nearly his equal, matching zeros for six-plus innings. He allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out five. His outing was a masterclass in damage control, as he navigated through the heart of the Dodgers’ powerful lineup without allowing a run until his final inning of work.

The deadlock was finally broken in the top of the seventh. J.T. Realmuto led off with a single against reliever Emmet Sheehan. After a fielder’s choice and a critical error by Sheehan on the play put Max Kepler on second, Nick Castellanos delivered a clutch double down the left-field line to score Kepler and give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers responded immediately in the bottom of the frame, chasing Sánchez after a walk and a single. Reliever Jhoan Duran entered and, after recording two outs, intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani to load the bases. The strategy backfired when Duran then walked Mookie Betts on a full count, forcing in the tying run. Duran limited the damage by striking out Teoscar Hernández to end the inning.

From there, the bullpens took over. The Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki was overpowering, firing three perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts. For the Phillies, Jesús Luzardo, Matt Strahm and Duran combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings to send the game into extras.

The winning run materialized in the bottom of the 11th against Luzardo, who took the loss. Tommy Edman singled, and after a lineout, Max Muncy singled to put runners on the corners. Luzardo then walked Enrique Hernández to load the bases. Orion Kerkering was summoned from the bullpen and, on his first pitch, induced a ground ball from Andy Pages. Kerkering, however, committed a fielding error on the play, allowing Hyeseong Kim to score the winning run from third.

Alex Vesia earned the win for the Dodgers with a scoreless top of the 11th inning.

The victory improved the Dodgers’ season record to 98-70, while the Phillies fell to 97-69. The series now shifts to Philadelphia for Game 4 on Saturday, where the Phillies will look to even the series and force a decisive fifth game back in Los Angeles.