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LOS ANGELES -- As the celebration raged around them, Sandy Koufax sought out Clayton Kershaw in the hazy mist of the clubhouse for a hug. Koufax, whose blazing fastball dominated baseball in the mid-1960s, removed the protective goggles from his eyes and rested his arms on Kershaws broad shoulders. From the franchises old left-handed ace to its current young southpaw, a smiling Koufax looked Kershaw in the eyes and bestowed his congratulations. The Dodgers had advanced to their 10th National League championship series with a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. "To get a hug and get a good job from a guy like that, from a guy thats been there, from a guy thats done this before and was the best at it for a long time is pretty special," Kershaw said. "He genuinely cares about not only this team but kind of our well-being. He cares about us. Thats awesome." The NL West champions open the next round Friday against St. Louis or Pittsburgh. The Cardinals host the wild-card Pirates in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Wednesday. "Weve moved one step closer," said Don Mattingly, managing in the playoffs for the first time. Juan Uribe hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning after Kershaw started on short rest for the Dodgers, who reached the NLCS for the first time since 2009. "It was a special night to get to do it here in L.A.," said Kershaw, his hair slick from the spray of beer and champagne. "We havent won anything yet, but it definitely feels good to get to celebrate. You never want to pass those moments up." Carl Crawford homered his first two times up and the Dodgers won the best-of-five playoff 3-1. "This does not get old. I love the champagne. I love the burning sensation in my eyes," centre fielder Skip Schumaker said. "A lot of these guys have never experienced the moving on to the next round and Im happy for them." Yasiel Puig doubled down the right-field line leading off the eighth against losing pitcher David Carpenter. The rookie charged into second base and pumped his right fist in the air. Fans were on their feet chanting "Lets go Dodgers!" when Uribe fouled off two bunt attempts. Then he sent a hanging 2-2 breaking ball into the Dodgers bullpen in left field to put them in front for the second time. Uribe knew it was gone as soon as he connected. He dropped his bat and threw both arms in the air at home plate. "This moment today Ill never forget," he said. "I think a lot of people feel like that." Meanwhile, it was the latest October flop for Atlanta, which hasnt won a post-season series since 2001. During that stretch, the Braves have lost seven straight playoff series and the 2012 NL wild-card game. "To end the way it did tonight, its going to hurt. Its going to be a long way back," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "But tip your hat to the Dodgers and congratulate Donnie and his staff. The sad thing is there are no more games, you know?" Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless eighth to get the victory. Kenley Jansen struck out all three batters in the ninth for a save, fanning Justin Upton to end it. That set off a raucous celebration on the field by the Dodgers, who rushed toward the mound in a mob. They tore jerseys off each other in unbridled excitement and doused Uribe with a bright-colored sports drink. "This team has a lot of fun. We dont think about being the team to beat and all that stuff. We just go out there and play and try to have fun," Crawford said. Jansen and catcher A.J. Ellis leaped into each others arms, and a burst of fireworks lit the sky in centre field as blue and silver streamers cascaded from an upper level of the stadium. The Dodgers lined up exchanging hugs in the infield, and co-owners Mark Walter and Magic Johnson grinned watching the revelry among the team they purchased last year. Kershaw, Puig, Wilson and other players jogged around the warning track exchanging high-fives and hand slaps with delirious fans. "They were loud," Kershaw said. "They want it just as much as we do." The Dodgers were criticized for jumping into the ballpark pool in Arizona when they clinched the NL West crown last month. This time, they got to party at home. The Braves took a 3-2 lead in the seventh on pinch-hitter Jose Constanzas RBI single off reliever Ronald Belisario. Needing a win to avoid elimination, Gonzalez never got the ball to lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel. "You dont want it to ever end the way we ended today. But we had the right guy out there. Carp has been good for us," Gonzalez said. "There is nothing to be ashamed of." The Dodgers gambled in bringing back Kershaw on three days rest for the first time in his career. But with a chance to close out the series, they opted for their ace over scheduled starter Ricky Nolasco. The move paid off when the 2011 Cy Young Award winner tossed six solid innings before turning it over to the bullpen. "This is the post-season," Kershaw said. "You just go. Its a one-month sprint and Im looking forward to the next couple games." Kershaw wasted a 2-0 lead, giving up two unearned runs and three hits. He struck out six and walked one on 91 pitches. With one out in the seventh, Elliot Johnson tripled into the right-field corner, sending Puig sliding into the dirt chasing the ball as it caromed off the wall. Constanza, batting for starting pitcher Freddy Garcia, singled into centre to put the NL East champions ahead for the first time. Garcia allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked two. The Braves tied it 2-all in the fourth. Crawfords second homer of the game came in the third, landing deep in the lower right-field seats for a 2-0 lead. Crawford led off the first with a towering home run to the right-field pavilion, smiling broadly as the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead. "The smile on his face when he hit that homer is priceless," Mattingly said. NOTES: The Dodgers lost in five games to Philadelphia four years ago in the NLCS. ... The last Dodgers pitcher to start on short rest in the playoffs was Derek Lowe, who allowed two runs and six hits in five innings of a no-decision in Game 4 of the NLCS on Oct. 13, 2008, against Philadelphia. ... Crawfords leadoff homer was the second in Dodgers post-season history. Davey Lopes homered leading off Game 6 of the 1978 World Series. Hes now the first base coach for the team. ... Kershaw allowed seven unearned runs during the regular season, all of them at Dodger Stadium. Meghan Klingenberg Jersey . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. Becky Sauerbrunn Jersey .1 million contract. The club said that Boll will earn $950,000 in 2012-13 and $1.15 million in 2013-14. The 26-year-old Boll had two goals and one assist with 126 penalty minutes in 54 games with the Blue Jackets in 2011-12. http://www.uswntproshop.com/c-24-rose-la...usa-jersey.aspx. Pistorius denied the allegation that he said to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year. Alyssa Naeher Jersey . This week, topics cover the Blue Jays rotation, the futures John Gibbons and Alex Anthopoulos, protecting pitchers and a bonus question on his predictions for the MLB playoffs. Christen Press Jersey . Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldnt miss.Chris Del Bosco entered this weeks World Cup skicross competitions in France knowing that a podium appearance would probably lock up a spot on the Canadian team for the Winter Olympics. He won gold Thursday in a weather-hampered event at Val Thorens, but he likely needs to do more to book his ticket to Sochi. The race was halted due to high winds and Del Bosco was given the victory based on his qualification results and win in his first heat. However, hell need to return to the podium Friday to really strengthen his chances for inclusion on the Sochi roster. "I definitely felt like I could have kept going, it was kind of frustrating because you want to win by winning the final but it was out of my control," Del Bosco said in a release. "Theres not really any more I could have done. "It was getting down to crunch time and I knew what I needed to do. I needed to podium. Sochi qualification is kind of a grey area. I dont really know how that works — Im going to just regroup here and get ready to give er again tomorrow." The second of back-to-back World Cup events will be held Friday at the same venue. The Olympic qualification window for skicross closes Sunday, so it will be the last chance for Canadians to qualify for nomination. The qualification process is very complicated and there are several freestyle events on tap this week. The selection committee will analyze all the results and data on Sunday and formally announce their decision the next morning. There are 26 spots available in the five disciplines that fall under the freestyle skiing umbrella —skicross, slopestyle, aerials, moguls and halfpipe — and there can be no more than 14 selections from either gender. The committee will look at results from previous years but performances this season have the biggest impact. For Del Bosco, all he can do is try again Friday and hope for the best. The 2011 world champion and X Games gold medallist has struggled of late and now has loads of pressure on him for the stretch drive. The 31-year-old Montreal resident finished second in the testt event in Sochi last season but his best result prior to this week was a 15th-place finish in Innichen-San Candido, Italy.dddddddddddd His victory Thursday didnt really offer much sway because he only raced one heat. "Chris is probably one of the most interesting and difficult situations," said Canadian Freestyle Ski Association CEO Peter Judge from Park City, Utah. "But certainly hes helping his cause today and hopefully hell get one more good go at it tomorrow and be able to remove all doubt." Sanna Luedi of Switzerland took gold in the womens competition Thursday. Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., was the top Canadian in fourth to retain her hold on the red bib as overall leader. The depth of the national skicross team and the Canadian freestyle team as a whole leaves athletes who are on the bubble in a tough spot. Some very talented competitors arent going to make the cut because Canada is stacked in several events. Del Bosco competed at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, where skicross made its Olympic debut. He made the final heat of four skiers but crashed just before the finish while making a late push to move into a better position. A spokesman for FIS, the sports governing body, said in an email that Del Boscos victory Thursday would be treated just like any other result on the World Cup circuit, regardless of whether the race was cut short due to weather. That gives Del Bosco 100 points and moves him to 11th place in the World Cup standings. Dave Duncan of London, Ont., was seventh. He slipped to second in the mens overall standings, falling behind Andreas Matt of Austria. Tristan Tafel of Canmore, Alta., was 15th on Thursday and Brady Leman of Calgary was 18th. Georgia Simmerling of West Vancouver, B.C., was sixth in the womens event. Kelsey Serwa, the 2011 world champion from Kelowna, B.C., was seventh in the first qualification round but didnt start her heat. Thompson is the only Canadian who has met the qualification criteria for nomination to the Sochi team. Duncan, Leman and Serwa are considered virtual locks for inclusion. ' ' '