The Los Angeles Dodgers are going with a familiar combination as they head to the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Manager Dave Roberts announced that left-hander Blake Snell will start Game One, and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be on the mound in Game Two, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Dodgers Going with Snell, Yamamoto in Games 1-2 of World Series
Dave Roberts said Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start the first two games of the World Series.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) October 21, 2025
Snellzilla Comes to Life
Snell was one of the most-coveted free agents last winter. Unfortunately, the two-time Cy Young Award winner had an abbreviated regular season when a shoulder injury kept him sidelined. However, Snell has earned his money thus far in the postseason. He has a 3-0 record. Furthermore, Snell has an ERA of 0.86 in 21 innings with 28 strikeouts. His magnum opus was against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. The left-hander tossed eight scoreless innings in a pivotal Game One, nearly no-hitting baseball’s winningest team. Snell said that he came to the Dodgers for the opportunity to pitch in the postseason. He hasn’t disappointed.
An Embarrassment of Riches
It appears that the Blue Jays have their work cut out for them in Game Two as well, with Yamamoto on the hill. The postseason veteran is coming off a pitching a gem of his own. After giving up a solo homer to Jackson Chourio, Yamamoto went on to hold the Brewers scoreless, pitching a complete game. Overall, he has a 2-1 record with an ERA of 1.83 and 18 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings. For whatever reason, Yamamoto’s splits are better on the road than at Dodger Stadium by almost a full run. The Dodgers’ regular-season ace has pitched the most innings of any starter in the rotation. Hopefully, Toronto’s right-handed offense, which has struggled to score runs during his starts, will give him some cushion.
Coming Up Aces
If Snell and Yamamoto continue to be anywhere near as effective as they have been, the Dodgers could win back-to-back World Series.
Main Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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