2017 National League Division Series
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Los Angeles Dodgers (3) Dave Roberts 104–58 (.642), GA: 11 Arizona Diamondbacks (0) Torey Lovullo 93–69 (.574), GB: 11
Dates	October 6–9
Television	TBS
TV announcers	Brian Anderson,Dennis Eckersley, andJoe Simpson
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Dan Shulman andAaron Boone
Umpires	Phil Cuzzi,Gerry Davis(crew chief),Bill Miller,Paul Nauert,Alan Porter,Quinn Wolcott.[1]
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Chicago Cubs (3) Joe Maddon 92–70 (.568), GA: 6 Washington Nationals (2) Dusty Baker 97–65 (.599), GA: 20
Dates	October 6–12
Television	TBS
TV announcers	Ernie Johnson andRon Darling
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Dave Flemming andJessica Mendoza
Umpires	Cory Blaser,Fieldin Culbreth,Laz Díaz,Ron Kulpa,Jerry Layne(crew chief),[a]Will Little[1]
NLWC	Arizona Diamondbacks defeatedColorado Rockies, 11–8
← 2016 NLDS 2018 →

The2017 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series on theNational League side in Major League Baseball’s2017 postseason to determine the participating teams of the2017 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1–3) and a fourth team—the winner of aone-game Wild Card playoff— played in two series.

These matchups were:

• (1)Los Angeles Dodgers (West Division champions) vs (4)Arizona Diamondbacks (Wild Card Game winner): Dodgers win series 3–0.
• (2)Washington Nationals (East Division champions) vs (3)Chicago Cubs (Central Division champions): Cubs win series 3–2.^[3]

The Dodgers would go on to defeat the Cubs in the NLCS, then lose the2017 World Series to the American League championHouston Astros.

For the first time, Major League Baseball soldpresenting sponsorships to all of its postseason series;T-Mobile US acquired presenting sponsorship to the NLDS,^[4] and thus the series was officially known as theNational League Division Series presented by T-Mobile.^[5]

Los Angeles won the series, 3–0.

Chicago won the series, 3–2.

This was the first postseason meeting between thesetwo division rivals, and the 16th time that teams fromPhoenix andLos Angeles met in a postseason in the four major North American sports leagues. The teams played each other 19 times during the regular season, with the Diamondbacks winning 11 of the games.

Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and he struck out seven in 61⁄3 innings. He also allowed four home runs (toA. J. Pollock in the third,J. D. Martinez in the sixth, andKetel Marte andJeff Mathis in the seventh), the firstNational League pitcher to ever do so in a postseason game. The Dodgers got to Diamondbacks starterTaijuan Walker early, asJustin Turner followed a leadoff single and walk with a three-run home run. Later in the inning,Cody Bellinger singled and scored onYasiel Puig's double. Walker was replaced after the first inning byZack Godley, who pitched five innings of relief while allowing three more runs to score, all in the fourth whenCorey Seager andJustin Turner hit back-to-back RBI singles after a leadoff single and walk, then an error loaded the bases before Puig's groundout scored another run. In the eighth,Austin Barnes hit a leadoff single offAndrew Chafin, who was relieved byJimmie Sherfy. Seager's triple and Turner's single scored a run each to extend the Dodgers' lead to 9–4. Turner had five RBIs in the game, tyingPedro Guerrero (1981) andDavey Lopes (1978) for the Dodgers single game postseason record.Kenley Jansen allowed a run in the ninth onJake Lamb's groundout with two on before gettingDavid Peralta to line out to end the game as the Dodgers held on to win, 9–5.^[14]

Game 2 featured a match-up of two left handed starters:Rich Hill, who struggled against Arizona in 2017, againstRobbie Ray, who came into Game 2's start 3–0 in five starts with 53 strikeouts against Los Angeles this season.Paul Goldschmidt started the scoring by hitting a two-run home run after a walk in the first inning, but those were the only runs Hill allowed in four innings of work. Ray, who pitched in relief just two days earlier in thewild card game, struggled with command throughout. He struck out six, but walked four, threw three wild pitches, and allowed four runs in 41⁄3 innings. The Dodgers got on the board in the second on two walks, a wild pitch andYasiel Puig's RBI groundout. In the fourth, three singles loaded the bases with one out for the Dodgers before another wild pitch by Ray tied the game. One out later,Chris Taylor's RBI single put the Dodgers up 3–2. Next inning,Logan Forsythe's RBI single offJimmie Sherfy made it 4–2 Dodgers. After a stolen base,Austin Barnes's two-run double made it 6–2 Dodgers.Jorge De La Rosa relieved Sherfy and allowed an RBI single to Puig. In the seventh,Tony Watson allowed back-to-back leadoff singles beforeBrandon Drury's three-run home run offBrandon Morrow cut the Dodgers' lead to 7–5. The Dodgers got a run in the bottom of the inning onKetel Marte's fielding error onChris Taylor's groundball offArchie Bradley. Puig and Forsythe each had three hits, while Puig and Barnes batted in two runs each.Kenta Maeda picked up the win in relief withKenley Jansen earning his first save of the series.^[15]

In game three, atChase Field,Yu Darvish struck out seven and allowed only two hits and one run (a home run byDaniel Descalso in the fifth). Meanwhile,Zack Greinke labored through his five innings, walking five and giving up four hits and three runs (two on homers byCody Bellinger in the fifth andAustin Barnes in the sixth, the other run came in the first on Bellinger's groundout with two on). The bullpens kept the game there and the Dodgers won the game 3–1, completing the sweep of the Diamondbacks and making their third trip to the NLCS in five years. Jansen earned his second save of the postseason by striking out Goldschmidt to end it.^[16] Arizona's defeat marked the first time in franchise history they lost an elimination game at Chase Field (winning Game 5 of the2001 NLDS, games 6 and 7 of theWorld Series of that same year, games 3 and 4 of the2011 Division Series, and the2017 National League Wild Card Game). The Dodgers were the first National League team to sweep anLDS since the2010 Phillies.

2017 NLDS (3–0):Los Angeles Dodgers defeatedArizona Diamondbacks.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Nationals and Cubs.

Game 1 featured a pitching duel betweenKyle Hendricks andStephen Strasburg, with the game being scoreless through five innings. The Cubs, who were held without a hit in the first five innings, were led off in the sixth withJavier Báez reaching on an error by the sure handedAnthony Rendon on a ball that was ruled just fair.Kris Bryant drove home Báez on a two-out RBI single (the first hit by the Cubs on the night) advancing to second on the throw. The very next batter,Anthony Rizzo, singled home Bryant to make it 2–0 in favor of the Cubs. The Cubs added one more run in the eighth whenJon Jay hit a leadoff double offRyan Madson and scored onAnthony Rizzo's double, as Hendricks threw seven scoreless innings giving up just two hits, with the bullpen tossing two scoreless as the Cubs took Game 1 by a score of 3–0.

The Nationals scored their first run of the series on a first-inning home run byAnthony Rendon off Cubs' starterJon Lester. However, in the top of the second, the Cubs struck right back, as the first batter of the inning,Willson Contreras homered off Nationals' starterGio González. The Cubs took the lead in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run byAnthony Rizzo. In the bottom of the fifth, Lester loaded the bases with two outs but got out of the jam by gettingTrea Turner to chase to end the threat. In the bottom of the eighth,Adam Lind led off with a pinch-hit single beforeBryce Harper homered offCarl Edwards Jr. to tie the game at 3–3. Edwards walkedAnthony Rendon, thenMike Montogmery allowed a single toDaniel Murphy beforeRyan Zimmerman hit a three-run home run to put the Nationals up 6–3.Sean Doolittle retired the Cubs in order in the ninth to tie the series at one, heading toWrigley Field.

Game 3 featured another pitchers' duel, this time betweenJosé Quintana of the Cubs andMax Scherzer of the Nationals. The game featured sloppy defense by the Cubs, as they committed four errors on the game. Two of them came in the top of the sixth with two outs, asDaniel Murphy hit a fly ball to left field that was dropped and kicked around byKyle Schwarber, allowing Murphy to reach third base. RelieverPedro Strop came in to faceRyan Zimmerman, but Zimmerman doubled home the game's first run. Meanwhile, Scherzer had not allowed a hit in the first 61⁄3 innings pitched, whenBen Zobrist doubled, to chase Scherzer from the game. The Nationals brought in lefty relieverSammy Solis to face Schwarber, but the Cubs sent pinch hitterAlbert Almora to hit, and he singled home Zobrist to tie the game at 1–1. In the bottom of the eighth,Tommy La Stella drew a leadoff walk offBrandon Kintzler, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. One out later,Óliver Pérez was summoned in to faceAnthony Rizzo, but he hit a bloop single to left-center field scoringLeonys Martín.Carl Edwards Jr. earned the win with a perfect eighth andWade Davis got the save with a perfect ninth as the Cubs won the game 2–1, and took a 2–1 lead in the series.

Game 4 was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday, October 10, but was postponed due to rain. The Nationals were going to use their fourth starter,Tanner Roark to try to save their season, but with the extra rest day, had the opportunity to use their ace,Stephen Strasburg on normal rest. Initially, it was announced that Strasburg was feeling under the weather, but he eventually did make the start. The Cubs stuck to their scheduled starter,Jake Arrieta, who was making possibly his final start as a Cub before entering free agency. Although the field conditions were playable, the wind was blowing in, and it was raining much throughout, making it difficult to hit the ball well. The Nationals scored first, as with two on and two out in the top of the fourth,Ryan Zimmerman hit a ground ball to shortstopAddison Russell who had trouble handling it. This allowed Zimmerman to reach safely andTrea Turner to score. Arrieta lasted four innings before Game 2 starterJon Lester took the ball. Lester retired the first 10 batters he faced before giving up awalk to Zimmerman. However, withDaniel Murphy batting, Lester, who rarely throws to first base, tried to pick off Zimmerman at first. The play was close, but Zimmerman was ruled safe. Replays showed that while Zimmerman beat the throw to the base, his foot might have came off the base while first basemenAnthony Rizzo's tag was still being applied. Cubs'managerJoe Maddon challenged the call, and it was reversed. Regardless, Murphy singled to right-center to end Lester's outing.Carl Edwards Jr. came on to faceAnthony Rendon. Edwards surrendered awild pitch, but Rendon drew a walk. The next batter,Matt Wieters walked to load the bases. Maddon brought in his closerWade Davis to faceMichael Taylor. Taylor hit a fly ball to right field that barely got out to make it 5–0. Meanwhile, Strasburg pitched well, tossing seven innings, striking out twelve while giving up just three hits and two walks.Ryan Madson andSean Doolittle held the Cubs scoreless as the Nationals won to stave off elimination.

With both teams' seasons on the line, the Cubs brought back Game 1starter and winning pitcherKyle Hendricks while the Nationals countered with Game 2 starterGio González, who got a no decision. The Cubs struck first in the top of the first off González with anRBI groundout byAnthony Rizzo, scoringJon Jay. In the bottom of the second,Daniel Murphy led off the inning by hitting the first pitch from Hendricks into the stands to tie the game at 1–1. After two straight singles,Michael Taylor hit his second homer of the series in as many at bats to give the Nationals a 4–1 lead. The Cubs struck back in the top of the third. With the bases load and one out,Addison Russell grounded out, scoringKris Bryant. The next batter wasJason Heyward, but with Heyward batting, González uncorked awild pitch, scoringWillson Contreras, cutting the Nationals' lead to one.

González lasted just three innings, asMatt Albers came on in the top of the fourth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. In the top of the fifth, Nationals' Game 3 starterMax Scherzer came on to pitch. After getting the first two batters out, Contreras had a two-out single. The next batter,Ben Zobrist,pinch hit forAlbert Almora Jr. and he also hit a single. The next batter, Russell hit a double to left field scoring both Contreras and Zobrist, as the Cubs took a 5–4 lead. After anintentional walk to Heyward,Javier Báez struck out, but catcherMatt Wieters gave up a passed ball. Wieters tried to complete the strikeout by throwing to first base, but the ball got by both first basemenRyan Zimmerman and second basemen Murphy, allowing Russell to score, and the other runners moving up. The next batter,Tommy La Stella pinch hit for Hendricks, and he fouled off a ball late, hitting Wieters' glove, allowing him to reach viacatcher's interference. The next batter, who was the ninth batter of the inning, Jay, was hit by a pitch which forced in a run to make it 7–4 Cubs.

The Cubs added one more run in the top of the sixth to make it 8–4 Cubs, but the Nationals struck back in the bottom half. After the first two batters were retired,Jayson Werth drew a walk off Cubs'relieverPedro Strop.Mike Montgomery came on to pitch, and he surrendered a double toBryce Harper. Then on a full count to Zimmerman, Montgomery threw a wild pitch which got by catcher Contreras, allowing Werth to score, and Zimmerman to reach. The next batter, Murphy, doubled to left allowing Harper to score, cutting the Cubs' lead to two. The Cubs got one back in the top of the seventh on Bryant's RBI groundout, scoringKyle Schwarber. In the bottom of the seventh, Cubs'setup manCarl Edwards Jr. pitched, but walked his only batter, Taylor. Maddon brought in Game 3 starterJosé Quintana. After retiring the first batter he faced (José Lobatón), the next two batters,Trea Turner and Werth reached to load the bases. Asacrifice fly by Harper cut the Cubs' lead to 9–7. With Zimmerman due up, Maddon brought on hiscloserWade Davis to retire Zimmerman, ending the threat and the inning.

Davis came back out there in the bottom of the eighth. After surrendering leadoff walks to Murphy andAnthony Rendon,Adam Lind pinch hit for pitcherRyan Madson. Lind, who started the rally in Game 2, grounded into adouble play, with Murphy to third base. It turned out to be the last plate appearance of Lind's 12-year career.^[17] However, Taylor singled up the middle to score Murphy, cutting the Cubs' lead to one. In the bottom of the ninth, Davis returned to the mound, trying to get the seven out save. He got it, retiring Turner and striking out Werth and Harper swinging to end the game and series, Cubs winning the game 9–8.

Davis recorded his record-tying third save of the series (Aroldis Chapman was the last closer to do accomplish this, doing this in the2016 NLDS). He is only the third reliever to have gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities in a Division Series, withDennis Eckersley andMark Wohlers having accomplished the feat both in the1996 National League Division Series. This was the Nationals' fourth postseason series loss in six years, while the Cubs advanced to theNLCS for the third consecutive year. Fourteen pitchers were used in the game.^[18] The game lasted four hours and 37 minutes, the longest 9-inning postseason game in major league history, beating the record set inlast year's postseason, which was also a Game 5 between theDodgers andNationals, which the Dodgers won 4–3.

In a surprising move considering his success with the club, the Nationals firedDusty Baker after the series loss.

2017 NLDS (3–2):Chicago Cubs defeatedWashington Nationals.

• 2017 Major League Baseball postseason schedule

• 2017 Major League Baseball season
• National League Division Series
• October 2017 sports events in the United States
• Los Angeles Dodgers postseason
• Washington Nationals postseason
• Chicago Cubs postseason
• Arizona Diamondbacks postseason
• 2017 in Chicago
• 2010s in Phoenix, Arizona
• 2017 in sports in Arizona
• 2017 in sports in Illinois
• 2017 in sports in Los Angeles
• 2017 in sports in Washington, D.C.
• Baseball competitions in Chicago
• Events at Wrigley Field

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from October 2017