Los Angeles Dodgers ace Blake Snell delivered one of the most dominant postseason performances in recent memory, shutting down the Milwaukee Brewers across eight scoreless innings in Game 1 of the NLCS.
The performance put Snell alongside legends as he became the first Dodger to go eight scoreless in the postseason since Clayton Kershaw in 2020 and the first to face the minimum through eight since Don Larsen’s 1956 perfect game.
As MLB.com noted, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called it “as good as I can remember in the postseason, against a very gritty team.”
“I can’t think of one other that was just that dominant, off the top of my head, that was just so good from the start,” said Freddie Freeman. “Sometimes it takes an inning or two for someone to settle in. It was from the get-go.”
Snell also received high praise from Brewers manager Pat Murphy.
I think it’s the most dominant performance against us,” Pat Murphy said. “I’ve been here 10 years… The kid was amazing.”
Blake Snell’s Dominant Game 1 Outing
Snell was nearly untouchable from start to finish. He tossed eight shutout innings while only giving up one hit and striking out 10.
He threw 69 of his 103 pitches for strikes, generated 22 whiffs (14 on his changeup), and became the first pitcher in postseason history with 10+ strikeouts, one or fewer hits, and no walks across at least eight innings.
“He just made every adjustment perfectly,” catcher Will Smith said. “We kept mixing the fastball and changeup, but his command of both was unreal.”
Mookie Betts added, “You hardly ever see that. From pitch one, he was completely locked in.”
So far this postseason, Snell has been nearly untouchable, allowing just two runs over 21 innings. Across his three starts, he’s surrendered only six total hits while recording at least nine strikeouts in each outing.
Is Blake Snell a Future Hall of Famer?
With each dominant postseason outing, Blake Snell continues to strengthen his case as one of the premier pitchers of his generation and possibly a future Hall of Famer.
He is two-time Cy Young Award winner in both leagues, one with the Rays in 2018 and another with the Padres in 2023.
Snell owns a career ERA of 3.11 and has over 1,450 strikeouts. He’s also held opponents to a career batting average below .210, one of the best marks among active starters.
The lefty has posted six straight seasons with a sub-3.50 ERA, and his 2023 campaign (2.25 ERA, 234 strikeouts in 180 innings) was one of the most dominant of the past decade.
The only thing missing from Snell’s resume is a World Series title, and he’s doing everything in his power to change that this season.
Blake Snell’s Game 1 Gem Draws Comparisons to Dodgers Legends