The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series behind five home runs and a dominant start from Blake Snell.
The left-hander allowed just two runs on four hits and collected nine strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Snell at one point retired 11 consecutive batters before allowing back-to-back singles with one out in the seventh. Both of those runners came around to score, but the 32-year-old still managed to get out of the inning.
The seven innings matched a season-high for Snell, and it was also his longest outing in 13 postseason appearances.
“It’s very important,” Snell said of pitching deep into starts after the Dodgers’ 10-5 win over the Reds. “I think the farther we go, the deeper that the starters go in the game, one, it means we’re pitching good.
“But, two, it means you’re giving the bullpen a break and breather. And they get to be 100% every time they come out. So it just makes for a different game that favors us.”
Snell not only dominated the Reds, but also became the first Dodgers pitcher to throw seven innings in the postseason since Jack Flaherty did so in Game 1 of the 2024 NL Championship Series.
“It felt good to go deep in the ballgame. Just got to control that last inning. But outside of that, I felt really in control, could read swings and just kind of navigate through the lineup the way I wanted to,” Snell said.
But even with the length he provided, the bullpen remained somewhat of a concern for the Dodgers as Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer combined to struggle to get through the eighth inning. They were specifically hurt by walking multiple batters.
Reds manager praises Blake Snell
The Reds came out swinging against Snell’s fastball, which he countered by mixing in a steady dose of changeups.
“Just seeing how aggressive they were to the fastball and just adjusted. Felt like that was what was best,” Snell said.
That approach impressed Reds manager Terry Francona.
“I mean, you could see kind of the obvious stuff, like power to the fastball, velocity in the upper 90s, spins the ball,” he said. “I thought the big difference maker was his changeup. It was his ability to manipulate the changeup, like even vary it. He’d throw one that was 87 (mph) and one that was 82 off the first changeup.
“And he threw multiple, like, two, three, four in a row at times at times and all different speeds. And then you throw a 97 in there, and it becomes difficult.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
