Dodgers’ NLDS opener is still at 1pm as Los Angeles faces extreme heat

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ NLDS opener against the Atlanta Braves remains scheduled for 1pm Pacific on Saturday, October 3, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. MLB’s official listing retains the afternoon start announced Thursday, while an extreme heat warning covering the city has prompted fan requests for a later game.

The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures reaching 105°F in the valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura counties during the warning period. That is a regional forecast, not a prediction for Dodger Stadium: a separate Los Angeles point forecast puts Saturday’s daily high near 99°F, without establishing the temperature at first pitch.

Has the Dodgers’ NLDS start time changed?

MLB’s official postseason schedule still lists Atlanta at Los Angeles at 4pm Eastern, equivalent to 1pm Pacific, on Fox. That matches the opening-game time Eric Stephen reported for True Blue LA on October 1, when MLB announced the full Division Series schedule.

The opponent is now confirmed. MLB records Atlanta’s 6–2 victory over Philadelphia in Thursday’s deciding wild-card game, giving the Braves a 2–1 series win. True Blue LA’s earlier schedule report had left the opponent open because that game had not yet been decided.

The distinction matters for anyone planning to attend or watch: the published start remains 1pm. MLB marks its postseason game times as subject to change, so the current listing should not be read as a guarantee that no subsequent adjustment is possible.

Dodgers–Braves NLDS dates, times and TV channels

• Game 1: Saturday, October 3, at Dodger Stadium — 1pm Pacific, Fox.
• Game 2: Sunday, October 4, at Dodger Stadium — 5pm Pacific, FS1.
• Game 3: Tuesday, October 6, in Atlanta — 3pm Pacific, FS1.
• Game 4, if necessary: Wednesday, October 7, in Atlanta — 3pm Pacific, FS1.
• Game 5, if necessary: Friday, October 9, at Dodger Stadium — 5pm Pacific, Fox.

The schedule places both opening games in Los Angeles before the series moves to Atlanta. A deciding fifth game would bring it back to Dodger Stadium. True Blue LA reports that Joe Davis and Fox Sports’ No. 1 MLB broadcast crew will call the series.

What the Los Angeles extreme heat warning says

The National Weather Service’s Los Angeles/Oxnard office issued its warning at 12:17pm Pacific on Thursday, October 1, upgrading an earlier watch. It runs from 10am Friday, October 2, until 8pm Thursday, October 8, and covers the coast and valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, explicitly including downtown Los Angeles.

The bulletin forecasts temperatures up to 90°F at the coast and 105°F in the valleys. “Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events,” the weather service says. Both scheduled opening games fall within that warning period.

NBC Los Angeles describes a prolonged spell with temperatures 10–15°F above normal through the following week. For comparison, its report puts typical October high temperatures in downtown Los Angeles at roughly 75–80°F.

“We’re expecting it to last into possibly next weekend,” NBC4 meteorologist Shanna Mendiola said. The weather service likewise says very hot conditions are likely to continue into October’s second week, potentially requiring an extension of the warning.

How hot will it be at Dodger Stadium?

The Los Angeles point forecast updated Thursday predicts sunshine and a Saturday high near 99°F, about 37°C. It also forecasts a Saturday-night low near 77°F and a Sunday high near 100°F, followed by another overnight low near 77°F.

Those figures describe a forecast point at 34.06°N, 118.22°W, not conditions in individual stadium seating sections. A daily maximum also does not identify the temperature when the game begins. The exact first-pitch temperature and stadium conditions remain unverified.

NBC’s report describes a regional peak on Saturday, while the weather service’s Los Angeles point forecast is slightly hotter Sunday. They cover different geographical scopes; neither supports treating Saturday afternoon as a confirmed stadium-specific temperature peak.

What to watch before Saturday’s opener

MLB’s schedule is the reference for any revised game time, while the National Weather Service bulletin gives the warning’s duration and geographical coverage. For now, those two official records show a 1pm Saturday opener during an extreme heat warning. The warning itself identifies a possible extension; the schedule retains its subject-to-change notice.