Donovan Farrell got an unexpected birthday present Friday night -- a Manny Machado home run ball and a meeting with the man who hit it. Donovan, who turned 12 on Friday, caught Machado's two-run home run in the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Game 2 against the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series. "It was an explosion of happiness. I was just going up and down like crazy," Donovan said. "Everybody was high-fives, wanted a selfie, it was amazing." But the congratulations didn't end there. Donovan met with Machado after the game, and the star shortstop signed the ball. "He thought it was a great catch," Donovan said. "He said he hit it really hard, so he was surprised I caught it. And then he wrote, 'To Donovan, best wishes, great catch,' and then he just wrote, 'Happy birthday.'" Donovan said he had never caught a home run ball before, even though his family has season tickets, but that he remembered his little league training. "I was just thinking like little league, like we've practiced fly balls so many times, like I should catch it by now. I just caught it, and it was amazing," he said. The Dodgers gave Donovan another gift by beating the Braves 3-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the NLDS. He said it was "by far" his best birthday. "Tonight was just my night," he said.<doc-sep>The Dodgers picked up a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night. With the win, LA now holds a 2-0 series lead. Clayton Kershaw was phenomenal, and Manny Machado and Yasmani Grandal both hit home runs. Though, there may be an even bigger story from the game. On a 3-0 pitch, Machado connected on one right down the middle, sending his first career postseason homer with the Dodgers into the left-field pavilion. Manny Machado doing BIG things. pic.twitter.com/VZXvTkkPI3 — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 6, 2018 The stadium erupted as the Dodgers took an early lead, but no fan was more hyped than 12-year-old Donovan. Not only was he celebrating his birthday at Dodger Stadium, he was celebrating after making an amazing snag on the home run. Would you believe us if we told you that Manny knew it was Donovan’s birthday today? pic.twitter.com/2Evo1YWJyh — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 6, 2018 As if things couldn’t get any better for the birthday boy, Donovan got to meet a surprise guest following the Dodgers win. A surprise birthday visit from Manny. pic.twitter.com/HMgbGl1zAn — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 6, 2018 Talk about a birthday. Getting to go to a Dodgers playoff game, catching a home run, AND getting to meet Manny Machado? Way to go, Donovan. Clayton Kershaw dominates with 85 pitches in 8 shutout innings; @dodgers go up 2-0; @YazmanianDVL08 and Manny Machado go deep. And this young fan Donovan was on the other end of Machado’s bomb - catching a homer on his birthday no less. #9togo #dodgers #nlds #backtobackshutouts pic.twitter.com/zWj8lt3bWe — Ned Colletti (@realnedcolletti) October 6, 2018 Oh, and here’s a selfie that is bound to make all his friends at school jealous on Monday.<doc-sep>The hair braids are shorter. There’s a slight smile instead of roaring laughter. A cool stride has replaced the rambunctious swagger. This version of Mannywood is more understated than the original by several orders of magnitude. The current protagonist isn’t cracking jokes about appearing on Spanish-language soap operas. He certainly isn’t renaming this city after himself within a few months of his arrival. What Manny Machado does share with his predecessor is his ability to change the game with a single stroke of his Rawlings bat. The on-field results are similar. A baseball deposited in the bleachers, screaming fans standing and deliriously waving blue promotional towels over their heads. Advertisement And if the kind of signature moment he produced Friday night can be replicated enough times over the upcoming month, Machado can do what even the magical Manny Ramirez failed to do here a decade earlier — deliver a World Series to Los Angeles. Machado’s two-run home run in the first inning opened the scoring and established the tenor for a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves that extended the Dodgers’ lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series to 2-0. “Just excited we got the lead right away,” Machado said. Ask any player, coach or manager who visits Dodger Stadium and they will tell you about the importance of taking the crowd out of the game early. When the fans here are lively, the environment can feel overwhelming for visitors. And that was the very atmosphere Machado created when he demolished a cut fastball delivered by the crafty Anibal Sanchez. History was on Machado’s side. In his previous 15 at-bats against Sanchez, he collected seven hits, including three home runs. “I’m just patient enough and try to see a good pitch to drive,” Machado said. With two outs and Joc Pederson standing on third base in the bottom of the first, Machado worked the count to 3-0. He didn’t look to the Dodgers’ bench for instruction. “I mean, the situation of the game speaks for itself,” he said. “First inning, you want to get on the board first.” Advertisement Braves manager Brian Snitker assumed Sanchez would walk Machado and didn’t signal for him to issue a free pass. “That’s my fault right there,” Snitker said. In Snitker’s defense, Sanchez threw a pitch that was hard to reach — a cutter that moved away from Machado. “A great pitch,” Machado said. Advertisement “Most guys don’t get that ball,” Snitker said. Machado did more than reach it. He lined it into the left-field pavilion for a 2-0 lead. Ramirez, who carried the Dodgers into the 2008 postseason after his trade from the Boston Red Sox, once playfully said about his impending free agency, “Gas is up and so I am.” Machado will be on the open market this winter and while he hasn’t made any declarations that would rival Ramirez’s in audacity or cleverness, he has incorporated the same basic message in his home run celebrations. Advertisement As Machado rounded third, he rubbed his index and middle fingers on both hands with his thumbs, basically saying, “Pay me.” The rocket provided a much-welcomed two-run cushion for Clayton Kershaw. The left-hander said the previous day that he didn’t have to prove anything, but the reality was that he wasn’t pitching only to give the Dodgers a 2-0 advantage. He was pitching to protect his reputation after being unceremoniously stripped of his status as the team’s Game 1 starter. “Manny hits the home run right there, right in the bottom of the first, and from there, it’s just my job to try and protect that lead as best I can,” Kershaw said. This was the impact the front office hoped for when it acquired Machado from the Baltimore Orioles in mid-July. And this was the moment Machado himself envisioned after missing the postseason in four of the previous five years. Advertisement “Now, being here in the postseason with this ballclub, it’s unbelievable,” Machado said. The Dodgers have used him in ways not even he could have imagined. Over the final week or so of the regular season, with the Dodgers locked in a dead heat with the Colorado Rockies that required a 163rd game to decide the NL West championship, Machado was moved into the cleanup spot for the first time in his career. In his nine games batting fourth, Machado hit .343 with two home runs and 10 runs batted in. In the penultimate game of the season, he broke a 5-5 stalemate in San Francisco with a two-strike, two-out double in the eighth inning. He finished the regular season with 37 home runs, including 13 for the Dodgers. 1 / 24 Clayton Kershaw embraces Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after pitching eight shutout innings in 3-0 win over the Braves in Game 2 of their 2018 NLDS series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 24 Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen stretches between pitches as he closes out a 3-0 win. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 24 Braves players gather at the end of the dugout during the final innings. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 24 Clayton Kershaw gave up two hits and no runs in eight innings against Atlanta in Game 2 of their 2018 NLDS series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 24 Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen gets the save in the Dodgers 3-0 win. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 24 Clayton Kershaw is congratulated in the dugout after pitching an eight inning shutout. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 24 Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig contorts his body after fouling off a pitch against Braves reliever Touki Toussaint in the sixth inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 24 Clayton Kershaw lets out a yell after getting the last out in the sixth inning, stifling a potential Braves rally. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 24 Braves baserunner Lane Adams is out on a force play as Dodgers second baseman Kike Hernandez receives the ball from third baseman Justin Turner. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 24 Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig seems to hug Atlanta Braves shortstop Charlie Culberson after being tagged out attempting to steal second base in the 6th inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 24 Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig steals second base against Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies in the fourth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 24 Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw can’t get a hand on an infield hit by Atlanta Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 24 Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner flashes a coy smile at Braves pitcher Anibal Sanchez after achieving a bloop hit in the fifth inning, forcing Sanchez out of the game. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 24 Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw reacts after throwing out Atlanta hitter Johan Camargo in the 4th inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 24 Yasiel Puig gives his bat a good lick during a fourth inning at bat. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 24 Dodgers centerfielder Cody Bellinger steals second base as Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies comes down with a high throw in the second inning. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 24 Dodgers shortstop Manny Machado hits a 2-run homer off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez in the first inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 24 Dodgers Manny Machado hits a two-run home run against the Braves in the 1st inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 24 Dodgers Manny Machado hits a two-run home run against the Braves in the 1st inning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 24 Manny Machado is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a first inning two-run homer off Braves starter Anibel Sanchez. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 24 Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw pumps his fist after striking out Atlanta Braves right fielder Nick Markakis (22) to end the first inning.<doc-sep>
Manny Machado gave the Los Angeles Dodgers another quick lead in Game 2 of their National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves. In the first inning, he launched a two-run home run that would be all the support Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen needed in a 3-0 victory. But the truth is, the home run wasn’t even the real highlight. A young Dodgers fan named Donovan stole the moment, reaching over the railing in the left field bleachers at Dodger Stadium to snag a most thrilling souvenir. His reaction is priceless too. He jumps up and down with the joy every baseball fan dreams of experiencing at least once. Would you believe us if we told you that Manny knew it was Donovan’s birthday today? pic.twitter.com/2Evo1YWJyh — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 6, 2018 That it came in the postseason is an even greater thrill. But it’s not the greatest. No, the fact that Friday was also Donovan’s birthday makes it the greatest. Well, that, and his incredibly cool postgame meeting with Manny Machado himself. A surprise birthday visit from Manny. pic.twitter.com/HMgbGl1zAn — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 6, 2018 Yeah, we’d say young Donovan had the perfect birthday for a Dodgers fan. Though it wasn’t his birthday, it wasn’t a bad day for Machado either. The home run was his second ever in the postseason, and his first in a Dodgers uniform. Clayton Kershaw also had a good day. He pitched eight scoreless innings to help the Dodgers take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Manny Machado celebrates his first Dodgers postseason home run in Game 2 of the NLDS. (AP) More from Yahoo Sports: • MLB postseason predictions: Who we think will win the World Series • Internet rallies behind A’s fan who had beer thrown on him by Yankees fan • Yankees vs. Red Sox is a whole new ballgame as they finally face off again • Yahoo Sports 2018 All-MLB Team: Mookie Betts, Mike Trout lead way