The Los Angeles Dodgers officially clinched a spot in the 2026 MLB postseason behind Tarik Skubal’s dominant start against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
The left-hander allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings and collected nine strikeouts against one walk. It was his first scoreless outing since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline and third overall of the season when including his time with the Detroit Tigers.
Skubal is now heading back to the playoffs for the third time in his career. But unlike when he advanced to the postseason with the Tigers and took part in a team-wide celebration, the Dodgers downplayed the accomplishment and kept their focus on the bigger picture.
“Yeah, it’s different than anything I’ve experienced, for sure,” Skubal said with a chuckle on SportsNet LA. “But I think it just speaks to the people that are in this room and what they expect out of this team. That was cool. Little toast, forget it happened and move on. We’ve got more to accomplish this season.”
The Dodgers have taken a low-key approach to celebrating postseason berths in recent seasons. Rather than pop champagne bottles like most other teams, manager Dave Roberts simply has a toast with his players in the clubhouse.
L.A. has bigger fish to fry as they try to become the first team in 26 years to win three consecutive World Series titles. For Skubal, who has a reputation of being a big-game pitcher, his focus is on being the best version of himself and helping them achieve their goal.
“Obviously he was in the postseason the last couple years. For him to get traded over here, to feel like he’s really apart of this, I think he’s done a great job with his teammates and the performance as well,” Roberts said of Skubal. “To take the mound on the night we had a chance to clinch, and we did it, that’s something he should be proud of. We expect many more victories from him and our team.”
Skubal has now thrown at least seven innings in consecutive outings, both of which came against the Reds. In total, he has thrown 14.1 innings while allowing just two runs on seven hits with 14 strikeouts against three walks.
Dodgers tie MLB record by clinching postseason berth
The Dodgers extended their postseason streak to 14 consecutive seasons, which tied the Atlanta Braves (1991-2005) for the longest such stretch in MLB history.
The Dodgers joined the Milwaukee Brewers as the only National League teams to clinch a playoff berth so far this year. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees are the only teams in the American League to have done so.
Next up for the Dodgers is winning another NL West title, which would be their 13th in the last 14 seasons. They are also trying to secure a top-two seed in the NL playoffs, which would give them an automatic bye to the Division Series.
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