Starting pitching continued to be the Los Angeles Dodgers’ greatest strength as they shined during a Wild Card Series sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with two dominant performances from Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Snell took the ball in Game 1, and he gave the Dodgers seven innings with just two runs allowed on four hits while striking out nine and walking one. In Game 2, Yamamoto pitched 6.2 innings and allowed two runs (none earned) on four hits with nine strikeouts and two walks.
With those two starts, Snell and Yamamoto became the first pair of teammates to give their team 20 or more outs, allow fewer than five hits, strike out nine or more batters and earn the win in consecutive postseason games, according to OptaSTATS.
In the @Dodgers' sweep of the Reds, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both:
got 20+ outs
allowed fewer than 5 hits
struck out 9+ batters
earned the winNever in MLB postseason history had a team's starters done that in back-to-back games. pic.twitter.com/lJaLU8mSA8
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 2, 2025
Yamamoto also likely would have made it through seven innings, if not for an error from Teoscar Hernández in the first inning that played a part in two runs scoring. But both pitchers dealt with traffic, and each time they either got out of the jam entirely or limited the damage without letting things spiral.
Heading into the postseason, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was going to rely on his starting pitchers and push them more than he normally would. That was partly due to the success and talent of the rotation, and also related to the struggles of the Dodgers bullpen.
Both Snell and Yamamoto have stepped up with that expectation so far, and the Dodgers still have Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow, who have yet to start a game in October this year.
Snell finished the 2025 regular season with just 61.1 innings after being limited by a left shoulder injury, but he posted a 2.35 ERA while striking out 72 hitters. Yamamoto made 30 starts this year, pitching to a 2.49 ERA across 173.2 innings with 201 strikeouts and further establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Dodgers turning to Shohei Othani in NLDS
With Snell and Yamamoto unavailable to start the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers named Ohtani their Game 1 starter at Citizen’s Bank Park.
That works out ideally for the Dodgers as there is a day off after Game 1, which allows Ohtani to get extra rest after his game as a two-way player.
It also allows the Dodgers to go back to Snell in Game 2, who would be on regular rest, and Yamamoto in Game 3 on his normal extended rest. Tyler Glasnow would likely start Game 4 in this scenario, while also being an option out of the bullpen in Game 1 or 2, and Ohtani would again be lined up for a potential Game 5.
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