The Los Angeles Dodgers knew they were poised to play in the Wild Card Series at the time of clinching the National League West last week, but their opponent was not determined until the final day of the regular season.
That became the Cincinnati Reds, who lost to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, but received help from the Miami Marlins defeating the New York Mets. The Reds held a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mets, and that wound up being the differentiator as both teams finished 83-79.
Although the Dodgers only have one off day before hosting Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, they largely managed to set up their starting rotation to choose from multiple options.
According to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts strongly indicated Snell is going to start Game 1 against the Reds on Tuesday:
Dave Roberts said that Blake Snell is “a pretty good bet” to start Game 1 of the playoffs for the Dodgers
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) September 28, 2025
Once the Dodgers’ decision is made official, Snell’s postseason debut with the team is going to come on five days of rest.
Overall, it’s going to be Snell’s 13th career playoff game and 12th start. He previously started a Game 1 three times for the Tampa Bay Rays, with each instance coming during the 2020 postseason.
That October saw Snell start openers in the American League Wild Card Series, Division Series and Championship Series as the Rays marched toward a matchup with the Dodgers in the World Series.
As the Dodgers were celebrating their NL West title at Chase Field, Snell said he was enjoying the moment but remained focused on the World Series. It was similar to the sentiment Snell shared during an introductory press conference after signing a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers.
Dodgers Wild Card Series pitchers
With Snell lined up to open the Wild Card round against the Reds, the Dodgers figure to choose from Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game 2 on Wednesday.
If Yamamoto, he would be pitching on five days of rest as well. Ohtani starting in Game 2 would be six days after he last pitched.
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