by Cary Osborne
The result of a chaotic double play to end the top of the fourth inning was steady thunderous noise at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
And then the coolest customer stepped on the mound for the bottom of the fourth. Blake Snell drowned the noise by retiring the top three of the Brewers lineup in order.
Snell, who has repeatedly said this season that he signed with the Dodgers to pitch in this environment, pitched one of the greatest games in Dodger postseason history.
Before Monday, no Dodger starter had gone at least eight innings and allowed one hit or fewer in a postseason game.
Snell did that, shutting the Brewers out over eight innings and turning the ball over the bullpen for the final three outs for a 2–1 win in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.
Snell turned in the 13th start in Major League history postseason history of at least eight innings and one hit or fewer allowed. The last was Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay’s no-hitter in NL Division Series Game 1 on Oct. 6, 2010.
This is the first postseason game where a starter has gone at least eight innings, allowed one hit or fewer, struck out at least 10 batters and walked none.
“I can’t think of one that was (more dominant) just off the top of my head that was just so good from the start,” said Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman. “Sometimes it takes an inning or two for someone to settle in. It was from the get-go.
Said manager Dave Roberts: “You’re not going to see too many performances like that, certainly in the postseason. This was pretty special.”
Snell faced the minimum — 24 batters. He allowed one baserunner — a Caleb Durbin single in the third inning. Snell picked him off.
https://medium.com/media/9471217a890a581b66f3d8de8c22c763/href
The veteran left-hander and two-time Cy Young Award winner now has consecutive postseason starts in which he has allowed one hit and no runs. He did that over six innings against the Phillies in Game 2 of the NL Division Series.
Before this season, Snell made 10 postseason starts in his career, none more than 5 2/3 innings. He has completed six innings in all three starts with the Dodgers this postseason.
He has allowed two earned runs, six hits and struck out 28 batters over 21 innings covering three postseason starts — all Dodger wins. He has a 0.86 ERA this postseason.
“Every situation’s a pressure situation,” Snell said if the postseason. “The deeper you go into the postseason, the more that doubt will creep in, or he was good against this team but not (against another team). There’s always going to be someone to say, ’Oh, there’s always a way to find a flaw in something.’ And it will be said.
“Postseason, if you dominate and you do great, no one can say anything. And that’s probably the best feeling is you get to prove yourself right, or you get to go out there and you fail. But at least you get to learn and grow and see who you are and how do you get better from it.”
This was his Mona Lisa in Milwaukee.
He threw 103 pitches and earned 22 swings and misses. The Brewers swung at 23 Snell changeups and missed on 14. In the Pitch Tracking Era (since 2008), the most swings and misses in a postseason game against a pitcher’s changeup is 15. Snell had 15 in NL Wild Card Game 1 against the Reds on Sept. 30. Washington’s Stephen Strasburg also had 15 in Game 4 of the 2017 NLDS.
“I think it’s just understanding what they were trying to do,” Snell said of how he attacked the Brewers. “I pitch off of what they’re telling me. So I just felt like they were really aggressive to a certain pitch, and it seemed to be that way. So I threw differently.”
Snell allowed two runners to cross home plate on Sept. 30. No Brewer crossed second base on Monday. The Brewers had three hard-hit balls against him. Two didn’t leave the infield.
Snell needed to be this precise. The Dodgers’ two runs were on a Freddie Freeman solo home run in the sixth inning and a Mookie Betts bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth.
https://medium.com/media/df637fef8899998846131311bd6cb03f/href
The Dodgers appeared to be on the verge of a big fourth inning, but Max Muncy’s deep drive to center field with the bases loaded was gloved by center fielder Sal Frelick at the wall. He deflected it off the wall, then caught the carom — not recording an out.
It caused confusion on the basepaths, and Teoscar Hernández was thrown out at home and Will Smith was doubled off at third base.
https://medium.com/media/b3c7ec997a269f8d056f896f2a963f55/href
Snell made that play a memory.
But the Dodgers had to hang on. Roki Sasaki walked two batters and allowed a double and a run-scoring sacrifice fly. Blake Treinen struck out Brice Turang to end the game.
Blake with the win, the other Blake with the save.
The Dodgers lead the NLCS 1–0.
2025 NLCS: Blake Snell’s masterpiece in Milwaukee was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.