The 2023 National League Division Series (NLDS) were the two best-of-five playoff series in Major League Baseball (MLB) that determined the participating teams of the 2023 National League Championship Series (NLCS). These matchups were:
(1) Atlanta Braves (NL East champions) vs. (4) Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card Series winner): Phillies win series 3–1. (2) Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West champions) vs. (6) Arizona Diamondbacks (Wild Card Series winner): Diamondbacks win series 3–0.
Background
The top two division winners (first two seeds) are determined by regular season winning percentages. The final two teams are the winners of the National League Wild Card Series, played between the league's third through sixth-seeded teams.
The Atlanta Braves (104–58) clinched their sixth straight postseason appearance on September 10, the third longest active streak in MLB behind the Dodgers and Astros, clinched the National League East on September 13, a first-round bye on September 18, the one-seed in the NL on September 27, and the best overall record on September 28, giving them home-field advantage throughout the entire playoffs. They played against the Philadelphia Phillies (90–72), who clinched their second straight postseason appearance on September 26, and swept the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card Series. This was the third postseason meeting between the two teams, following the 1993 National League Championship Series and last year's National League Division Series, both of which the Phillies won. The Braves won the regular season series against the Phillies, 8–5, with seven of those meetings coming in September. However, the Phillies defeated the Braves in four games and advanced to the National League Championship Series for the second straight year.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (100–62) clinched their eleventh straight postseason appearance and the National League West on September 16, which is the longest active playoff streaks in four major North American professional sports, after the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time in sixteen years during the 2022–23 NHL season, and a first-round bye on September 23. They faced the sixth-seeded Arizona Diamondbacks (84–78), who clinched a postseason berth on September 30, and swept the National League Central champion and third-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series for their first division series appearance since 2017, which was also against the Dodgers. Los Angeles went 8–5 against Arizona in the regular season, with Arizona winning five of eight in March/April, and Los Angeles winning five straight in August. This was the second postseason match-up between the two division rivals, following the 2017 National League Division Series, in which Los Angeles swept. This time, however, the Diamondbacks would sweep the Dodgers in three games and advance to their first National League Championship Series since 2007.
Matchups
Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta vs. Philadelphia
This was the third postseason meeting between Atlanta and Philadelphia. They previously met in the 1993 NLCS and 2022 NLDS, both of which were won by Philadelphia.
Game 1
The Phillies broke a scoreless tie in their half of the fourth inning as Bryson Stott's single scored Bryce Harper. In the bottom of the inning, Jeff Hoffman struck out Michael Harris II to escape the bases-loaded jam with two outs. In the sixth inning, Harper homered off Spencer Strider on the first pitch of the at-bat to extend the lead to two. In the eighth inning, the Phillies loaded the bases and Trea Turner scored on catcher's interference during J. T. Realmuto's at-bat to give the Phillies a 3–0 lead. Atlanta managed one more threat in the bottom of the eighth inning with runners on first and third and one out, but Turner started a sparkling inning-ending double play off the bat of Ozzie Albies to end the threat. Former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel finished things out for the Phillies and gave them the first game of the best-of-five.