Dodgers break baseball again, acquire two time CYA Skubal
Shocking no one, the Dodgers acquired two time CYA winner Tarik Skubal as they do everything they can do to help themselves three-peat. The shocking part was that the price was what it was and that the Brewers didn’t do everything in their power to beat this deal. As rumored, Zyhir Hope was part of the deal, along with oft injured River Ryan, and low level high helium prospect Brady Smith.
Yesterday I had suggested that Zyhir Hope would be part of the package if they successfully bid for Skubal and he was. Instead of Sheehan or Wrobleski the Tigers opted for River Ryan. Ryan has the stuff to be a top prospect, the only thing holding him back has been his health. He rarely pitches so it is a bit of a shocker that the Tigers would ask for him. They might get a great rotation piece but the odds are probably higher he never throws 100 innings for them. Brady Smith could be something, and certainly something you want in this type of deal. Given that two of the three players were Ryan/Smith, I would have expected a fourth name. Even for a pending free agent, given you are acquiring the best pitcher in the AL, maybe in baseball, the price seems cheap to me.
What now? The Dodger rotation is crazy stacked as they add Skubal via trade, Snell is coming back this week, and Glasnow is ramping up his rehab. Even with Ohtani sidelined the rotation headed into next week will have Wrobleski/Skubal/Sasaki/Yamamoto/Sheehan/Lauer. That doesn’t include Snell who will probably pitch next week. Eventually you will add Glasnow, and possibly Ohtani. Which means someone is still probably going to get traded. Given everything Lauer has done since the Dodgers acquired him it would suck for him to be traded but hard to see how he fits here. Hell, Sheehan doesn’t even fit here. Glasgow doesn’t even fit here. You would love the Postseason Rotation to be some combo of Skubal/Yamamoto/Snell/Ohtani wouldn’t you? Leaving Sasaki/Wrobleski/Glasnow/Sheehan in the postseason bullpen. Kind of like last postseason. Yet, the way Sasaki is progressing, do you really not want him part of your postseason rotation? Basically the Dodgers have four pitchers who won’t start a Dodger postseason game that are probably better then 75% of the teams rotation headed into the postseason. It is no wonder that people claim the Dodgers have broken baseball.
This is why you can trade River Ryan, he simply doesn’t have a spot even if he was healthy. Even if Skubal leaves via free agency and that isn’t a given since he has said his preference is to be a Dodger, the 2027 rotation is how we started the 2026 season. Without Skubal the 2027 rotation still lines up with Yamamoto/Snell/Ohtani/Glasnow/Wrobleski/Sheehan but now they are woefully short of pitching prospects outside of Zazueta/Root in the high minors. Well, I guess they still have Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone who have both missed all of 2026. Miller was once the best of the pitching prospects and had a fantastic debut season but has been shite since. Stone hasn’t pitched for two years now. Maybe they do keep Lauer?
At this point last week it looked like they would need to add a catcher but Will Smith has started baseball activities and should be ready to play by the end of August. Doubt they are trading anyone for 30 days of a back up catcher who would only marginally be better than the current back up catcher. They might make a deal but it will be a very small deal instead of trying to snag a high end back up catcher. 1st base no, 2nd base – Maybe, SS – No, 3rd base – No, CF – no, RF – No, LF – Maybe, Rotation – No more, Bullpen – Maybe
Addressing the maybe’s. 2nd base is Edman, Rojas, and Hernandez. You could upgrade here but I don’t think they well since they still have Freeman/Kim in AAA. Not ideal but given the talent around them, the group should be adequate. LF is Teo/Call/Hernandez which is why Call is expendable at this point. This is certainly a place they could upgrade but by doing so they either have to trade Teo or put a very popular player on the bench. Not sure they are ready to do that this deadline. I think they pass on both 2nd and LF. That leaves the bullpen and yes it certainly could use some help but given that we just listed nine pitchers as starters and you can only use at most six, that leaves some exciting arms for the bullpen. Plus they did acquire Seth Halvorsen several weeks back who has basically been unhittable since joining the Dodger AAA outlet. They also just got back Diaz. Before that, they got back Phillips. I don’t know, maybe one more bullpen arm. Maybe. Once again, maybe they don’t trade Lauer and have him become the Ryan Yarbrough of the bullpen.
Thus my expectations for the rest of the trading deadline is that one or two of the non DePaula/Quintero/Sirota/Davalan outfield prospects will get traded for young pitchers and young catchers. I would hope that Ward is finally moved, kind of hoping they trade Alex Call, and Kendall George was removed today from his AA lineup. He wasn’t part of the Skubal trade, but he very well may be part of another deal.
Any-ho, once again the Dodgers have broken baseball, and have to be the odds on favorite to win their third straight championship. It might have been quite the gauntlet if they had to go through Miz/Skubal and I’d have loved to see it, but now the Brewers can clutch their prospects and give it a good go as they watch Skubal cut through their lineup as Miz cuts through his lineups.
Dodger Farm System Active Players Update 2026
As the 2026 Trade Deadline looms, social media has been dissing the idea that the Dodgers have a loaded farm system. The future will decide if the Dodger Top 30 are actual prospects or not but for fun let’s check out what the Dodger Farm System has produced. This list is a list of active players in Major League Baseball that were either drafted by the Dodgers or Signed as International Free Agents. I did include Sasaki and Kim since they both were signed young and pitched in the Dodger minor league system.
Could you build a competitive with this team in 2026? Probably not, but if you combine the home players on the Dodgers and the home grown players throughout baseball I think you can build a very competitive team.
This is the team I’d pick using the list below. Who would you pick?
| Player | Pos | Notes |
| Will Smith | Catcher | All-Star |
| Dalton Rushing | Catcher | Future All-Star? |
| Michael Busch | 1B | Solid |
| Zach McKinstry | 2B | Meh |
| Cory Seager | SS | Borderline HOF |
| Miguel Vargas | 3B | All-Star |
| Miggy Rojas | Utility | |
| Cody Bellinger | RF | MVP, All-Star |
| Any Pages | CF | All-Star |
| Luke Raley | Platoon LF | Great LHB |
| Jonny Deluca | Platoon LF | Sold RHB |
| Yordan Alvarez | DH | Borderline HOF |
| Joc Pederson | PH | Great career |
| Justin Wobleski | SP | All-Star |
| Emmet Sheehan | SP | Future All-Star |
| Nathan Eovaldi | SP | All-Star |
| Dustin May | SP | Bounce back Season |
| Dean Kremer | SP | Still Pitching |
| Ryan Pepiot | SP | Hurt this year, but had been good for Rays |
| Roki Sasaki | SP | Just for fun – Plus Future All-Star |
| Egardo Henriquez | RP | Solid |
| Kyle Hurt | RP | Meh |
| Brock Stewart | RP | Good when not hurt |
| Kenley Janson | RP | Still saving games |
| Clayton Beeter | RP | Starting to save games |
| Caleb Ferguson | RP | Only lefty |
| Name | Pos | Type | Draft or Signed |
| Brock Stewart | RP | Minor League Trade | 2014 |
| Caleb Ferguson | RP | Minor League Trade | 2014 |
| Carlos Santana | 1st/DH | Minor League Trade | 2004 |
| Clayton Beeter | RP | Minor League Trade | 2020 |
| Cody Bellinger | CF | Left FA | 2013 |
| Connor Wong | Catcher | Minor League Trade | 2017 |
| Dean Kremer | SP | Minor League Trade | 2016 |
| Dennis Santana | RP | Minor League Trade | 2013 |
| Dustin May | SP | Major League Trade | 2016 |
| Hunter Feduccia | C | Minor League Trade | 2018 |
| James Outman | OF | Minor League Trade | 2018 |
| Joc Pederson | OF | Left FA | 2010 |
| Jonny DeLuca | OF | Major League Trade | 2019 |
| Jorbit Vivas | 2b/3B | Minor League Trade | 2017 |
| Keibert Ruiz | Catcher | Minor League Trade | 2014 |
| Kenley Janson | RP | Left FA | 2004 |
| Kyle Farmer | 3rd/SS/2nd | Minor League Trade | 2013 |
| Luke Raley | 1st/OF | Minor League Trade | 2016 |
| Michael Busch | 1B | Major League Trade | 2019 |
| Miguel Vargas | 3b/1B | Major League Trade | 2017 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | SP | Major League Trade | 2008 |
| Ryan Pepiot | SP | Major League Trade | 2019 |
| Scott Barlow | RP | Minor League Trade | 2011 |
| Seager | SS | Left FA | 2012 |
| Walker Buehler | SP | Left FA | 2015 |
| Yimi Garcia | RP | Major League Trade | 2009 |
| Yordan Alveraz | LF | Minor League Trade | 2016 |
| Zach McKinstry | 2nd/OF | Major League Trade | 2016 |
Top 30 Prospects by yours truly
The trade deadline is coming up, so after perusing Baseball America / Rotowire / Prospects Live / MLB Pipeline and watching multiple minor league games over the last two years here is my own top thirty Dodger Prospects. Some of these folk will get traded in the next five days. I would place De Paula/Quintero/Morales/Zazueta in the I’m not trading them unless Mason Miller is available.
Skubal is of course the big name and also a free agent so putting together a deal for a guy who has won the last two American League CYA and is also a free agent is simply throwing darts but I like throwing baseball darts. To get Skubal I expect the Dodgers will indeed part with a major league rotation piece, thus keeping the actual prospect part of the deal more in the top 50-100 range. If they don’t deal Sheehan/Wrobo, then yes, I could see Zazueta being part of the package. With Snell / Glasnow coming back the easy argument is that the Dodgers don’t need to overpay for Skubal but I think what many are missing when they make that argument, is that the Brewers can easily match any Dodger package if they want to. We might be salivating over the current Dodger farm system, but the Brewers are loaded from top to bottom along with a major league rotation piece like Logan Henderson. Even with the best record in baseball, I don’t think any Dodger fan feels this is a powerhouse Dodger team and facing the likes of Miz and Skubal would be quite the gauntlet, if the Brewers were to acquire Skubal. Thus, my own package is clearly an overpay for the best pitcher to be available at the deadline in quite some time.
What do the Tigers need? They would want a major league rotation piece to replace Skubal, they don’t need a CF with Max Clark ready to step into that void as early as August so I’m not including Sirota or Quintero in the deal. Gleyber Torres is a one year player, so they could use a 2nd baseman or SS if they move McConigle to 2nd base after this year. 3rd base could use an upgrade. The corner outfield spots could use an upgrade. They could use another future starter or current bullpen help. Their top prospect is a CF in Max Clark, followed by SS Bryce Rainer and catcher Josue Briceno. Those are basically all they have when it comes to top 100 prospects so they could use an influx of new talent.
No one will like what I’m suggesting, but if you want to win a Championship you might want one of the best pitchers in baseball on your side instead of against you. Sheehan or Wrobo. Wrobo would be the better sell to the Tiger franchise base because of his fantastic first half, but Sheehan still touches all the bases you’d want in a good young controllable starter. Sorry Hope fans, Zyhir Hope will follow Sheehan/Wrobo. The Tigers would want De Paula they would have to settle for Hope who should be bashing home runs for the Tigers by this time next year. You’d think that would be enough but I don’t think it would be. Chase Harlan might seal the deal. If we didn’t have Morales, I wouldn’t think of trading Harlan but we do and besides, Muncy has decided he’s going to play forever anyway.
So Step One:
Trade James Tibbs III to the Miami Marlins for Braxton Garrett
Trade Wrobo or Sheehan / Zyhir Hope / Chase Harlan / Braxton Garrett for two time CYA winner Tarik Skubal
Instead of six top ten outfielders the Dodgers will only have four in De Paula / Quintero / Sirota / Davalan. If the Brewers really want Skubal they can beat this. Will they? I hope they do, it would make October even more special.
Onto the top 30 list:
| Rank | Name | Notes |
| 1 | Josue De Paula | Closest thing to Yordan since the Dodgers traded Yordan |
| 2 | Eduardo Quintero | All five tools, will be a future Dodger CF |
| 3 | Mike Siiota | All Five tools, only reason below Quintero is age and historical health |
| 4 | Emil Morales | Possible future Dodger 3rd Baseman |
| 5 | Christian Zazueta | Best pitcher in the system. Might be best prospect pitchers in the NL. Yup, just might be. |
| 6 | Zyhir Hope | Would be many teams top outfield prospect |
| 7 | Charles Davalan | Would be many teams top outfield prospect. Incredible steal last year. |
| 8 | Zach Root | Only above River Ryan because of health but he’s another 2025 draft steal. |
| 9 | James Tibbs | Would be “some” teams top outfield prospect |
| 10 | Bo Lowrance | Another Dodger draft day steal? Many think so |
| 11 | Aidan West | Don’t sleep on him, my new favorite low A prospect |
| 12 | Chase Harlan | Possible future Dodger 3rd Baseman and a fantastic trade chip. |
| 13 | River Ryan | Best stuff in system, but to many injuries to have him any higher. |
| 14 | Ching-Hsien Ko | Big power |
| 15 | Kellon Lindsey | Like to see him healthy for a full year but finally putting together a season that makes you remember why he was a number one pick. |
| 16 | Jackson Ferris | Back end starter at this point, don’t think he ever gets more than a handful of Dodger starts. |
| 17 | Kendall George | A better Chandler Simpson or Scott? Heck, if he can just be Chandler Simpson that has value. |
| 18 | Brady Smith | Like him alot, good to see him in A+ now. |
| 19 | Zach Ehrard | Alex Call in AAA, should have a Major league career. If not traded this summer, could be on the Dodger roster next spring. |
| 20 | Nicolas Perez | Not sure yet, but was having a breakout season until he got hurt |
| 21 | Cam Leiter | |
| 22 | Joendry Vargas | Not writing him off yet, but getting close. At one time Quintero and Vargas were neck and neck. One blossomed, one stagnated, but still young enough to get it together. |
| 23 | Adam Serwinoski | back end starter or bullpen |
| 24 | Noah Miller | Will be someone’s utility infielder if the glove is as advertised. They basically already have the White Sox’s Billy Carlson. |
| 25 | Elijah Hainline | Will be someone’s utility infielder, but with probably more bat than Miller but not as much glove. |
| 26 | Russell Sandefer | 2026 Draft – Just going by others on this, have zero insight on him. |
| 27 | Mairoshendrick Martinus | I like this guy, no one else seems to. Repeating Low A but still young, power, speed, plays everywhere. I’ve seen him alot on TV, always seems to be doing something well. |
| 28 | Tyler Gough | Just a dartboard shot here but I like where my dart landed. |
| 29 | Easton Shelton | Billy Ashley step on up. His K rate is his Achilles heal. No one thinks he’s a real prospect but is there anyone more fun to watch right now in the system? I say no. |
| 30 | Ryan Ward | Yeah – No way he and Tibbs survive this deadline. |
I don’t have Elkins in my top 30. He could be, he’s done everything he needs to do with Ontario and finally got the bump to the Loons. He struck out four times in his first game for the Loons. That is the problem, he’s an incredible athlete, speed, power, can play CF, but the K rate……….. Elkins is only 21, so he’s not old for the Loons, I would not be surprised if he can’t have an Outman type of career. I mean if James Outman can still find a Major League job, I imagine that Elkins will also eventually find one.
I wish Copen was on this list. He’s someone I’m rooting for but just not seeing it. Payton Martin is another and actually had his best game of the year right after I created the list. Marten is still very young, and in AA, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he handles the 2nd half of this season.
Do you have a favorite prospect who wasn’t mentioned?
Shohei Ohtani gives the fans what they paid to see
Whenever you go to a show you are almost guaranteed to get what you paid for. Concerts, Broadway, Comedy Clubs, you usually get what you expected to get when you decided to go out.
Sports are a whole different world as anyone who paid out for the 2017 World Series Game Seven can attest to.
However at Dodger Stadium, you are getting exactly what you paid for and more when it comes to the Ultimate Showman – Shohei Ohtani.
Below is what Shohei Ohtani has done in each at-bat over the last two games he’s played at Dodger Stadium.
Game Four 2025 NLCS:
1st At-Bat Home Run
2nd At – Bat – Walk
3rd At – Bat – Home run over the Pavillion
4th At-Bat – Home Run
Game three 2025 World Series:
1st At-Bat – double down the line
2nd At-Bat – home run into the bullpen
3rd At-Bat – Double to left center – first hit to the opposite field since Sept 20th
4th At-Bat – Home run to left Center
IBB
IBB
IBB
IBB
IBB
13 straight at-bats with either a walk, double, home runs.
It is just insane.
Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Game Score Leaderboard
Yoshinobu Yamamoto leaps into fifth place among the LAD World Series games cores with his brilliant deconstruction of the vaunted Toronto Blue Jays in Game Two of the 2025 World Series. It was the best game by a Dodger starter in a World Series since Orel Hershiser shut out the Oakland A’s in Game Two of the 1988 Series.
Baseball Reference Link to Data
| Rk | Player | Result | IP | H | ER | BB | SO |
| 1 | Don Drysdale | W, 1-0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | Sandy Koufax | W, 7-0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 3 | Sandy Koufax | W, 2-0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | Orel Hershiser | W, 6-0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | W, 5-1 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | Walker Buehler | W, 3-2 (18) | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 7 | Burt Hooton | W, 6-1 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | Sandy Koufax | W, 2-1 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 9 | Sandy Koufax | W, 5-2 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 15 |
| 10 | Don Drysdale | W, 7-2 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 11 | Clayton Kershaw | W, 3-1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 12 | Claude Osteen | W, 4-0 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 | Orel Hershiser | W, 5-2 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 14 | Jerry Reuss | W, 2-1 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
2024 & 2025 World Champion Dodgers All-Time Post Season Home Run Leaderboard
The 2025 World Champion Dodgers scored their last three runs via solo home runs. Max Muncy got the Dodgers within one run (4 – 3) with his solo blast in the 8th. Miguel Rojas hit the shocking tying home run in the 9th with one out, and Will Smith put the Dodgers in front with clutch home run in the top of the 11th.
| Player | Total | NLWCS | NLDS | NLCS | WS |
| Max Muncy | 16 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Corey Seager | 13 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Justin Turner | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Duke Snider | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Steve Garvey | 10 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| Kiké Hernández | 11 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| Cody Bellinger | 9 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Chris Taylor | 9 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 11 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Joc Pederson | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Will Smith | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Adrian Gonzalez | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Mookie Betts | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Teoscar Hernandez | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Ron Cey | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Davey Lopes | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Freddie Freeman | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Dusty Baker | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Andrre Ethier | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Manny Ramirez | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Yasiel Puig | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Steve Yeager | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gil Hodges | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Oh My Ohtani
Some games are not like other games. Last night, the baseball world witnessed a game in which
the following things happened
In the top of the first a player struck out the side
In the bottom of the first a player hit a lead off home run
In the bottom of the fourth a player hit a ball four hundred and sixty six feet that cleared the Dodger RF pavilion
In the top of the 7th a player completed six innings of shutout ball against the team with the best record in baseball in a game four must win, striking out ten in the process
In the bottom of the seventh a player hit a home run
The fact that it was the same player for each of these events is why it might be considered not only the greatest individual feat in postseason history but simply the greatest individual feat in the history of baseball.
https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-nlcs-game-4-facts-and-figures
https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-hits-three-home-runs-strikes-out-10-in-nlcs-game-4
Yamamoto tells Blake Snell to hold his Saki
Just yesterday we talked about the greatest Dodger NLCS pitching performances and Yoshinobu Yamamoto decided he wanted his name on the Dodger NLCS leaderboard. Pitching the first complete game in a Dodger NLCS since Orel Hershiser in game seven of the 1988 NLCS against the Mets, Yamamoto not only stamped his name on the NLCS leaderboard but now has the 3rd highest game score in Dodger NLCS history.
Below is the Dodger NLCS Game Score Leaderboard:
Player GmSc Gm Date Opp Result IP H ER BB SO Blake Snell 90 1 2025-10-13 MIL W 2-1 8.0 1 0 0 10 Don Sutton 84 1 1974-10-05 PIT W 3-0 9.0 4 0 1 6 Yoshinobu Yamamoto 83 2 2025-10-14 MIL W 5-1 9.0 3 1 1 7 Tommy John 81 2 1978-10-05 PHI W 4-0 9.0 4 0 2 4 Orel Hershiser 80 7 1988-10-12 NYM W 6-0 9.0 5 0 2 5 Clayton Kershaw 78 2 2016-10-16 CHC W 1-0 7.0 2 0 1 6 Don Sutton 78 4 1974-10-09 PIT W 12-1 8.0 3 1 1 7 Jack Flaherty 77 1 2024-10-13 NYM W 9-0 7.0 2 0 2 6 Fernando Valenzuela 77 5 1981-10-19 MON W 2-1 8.2 3 1 3 6 Zack Greinke 75 1 2013-10-11 STL L 2-3 (13) 8.0 4 2 1 10 Tommy John 75 4 1977-10-08 PHI W 4-1 9.0 7 1 2 8 Clayton Kershaw 74 5 2018-10-17 MIL W 5-2 7.0 3 1 2 9 Hyun Jin Ryu 74 3 2013-10-14 STL W 3-0 7.0 3 0 1 4 Rich Hill 72 3 2016-10-18 CHC W 6-0 6.0 2 0 2 6 Vicente Padilla 71 2 2009-10-16 PHI W 2-1 7.1 4 1 1 6 Clayton Kershaw 70 2 2013-10-12 STL L 0-1 6.0 2 0 1 5 Don Sutton 69 2 1977-10-05 PHI W 7-1 9.0 9 1 0 4 Tim Belcher 68 2 1988-10-05 NYM W 6-3 8.1 5 3 3 10 Burt Hooton 68 4 1981-10-17 MON W 7-1 7.1 5 0 3 5 Jerry Reuss 68 1 1983-10-04 PHI L 0-1 8.0 5 1 3 3 Orel Hershiser 66 1 1988-10-04 NYM L 2-3 8.1 7 2 1 6 Clayton Kershaw 66 5 2017-10-19 CHC W 11-1 6.0 3 1 1 5 Burt Hooton 65 1 1981-10-13 MON W 5-1 7.1 6 0 3 2 Fernando Valenzuela 65 2 1983-10-05 PHI W 4-1 8.0 7 1 4 5 Fernando Valenzuela 65 5 1985-10-14 STL L 2-3 8.0 4 2 8 7
Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 10/15/2025.
Did Blake Snell just pitch the greatest NLCS game in Dodger history?
Blake Snell takes over first place with the top Los Angeles Dodger NLCS game score with his masterpiece last night on 10/13/25. It had been fifty-one years since a Dodger had pitched that great a game score but was it the greatest NLCS Dodger game ever?Snell, Sutton, John all pitched brilliantly but they were either games one or two. Orel Hershiser pitched his brilliant game in game seven against the Mets to close out one of the greatest NLCS series in history. Don Sutton pitched two fantastic games giving the Dodgers the wins in game one and game 4 in the 1974 NLCS. You won’t find anyone else on this list that pitched two brilliant games (game score over 75) in the same series. Fernando closed out the Expos in 1981 when the series was only five games. The strangest name on on this list might be Vincene Padilla. I’d think everyone else on the list is a household Dodger name. Hey, it was just a year ago that Jack Flaherty shocked everyone with his game one NLCS gem. For my money, my top game list would go like this:
1 – Orel on 10/12/88 to close out Mets in game 7
2 – Fernando on 10/19/81 to close out Montreal in game 5
3 – Don Sutton’s brilliant 1974 NLCS series in game one and game 4
4 – Blake Snell for sheer dominance in an era where getting 24 outs is a rarity
5 – Clayton Kershaw for dominating the eventual World Champion Cubs in Game 2 / 2016
Player GmSc SeriesV Gm Date Opp Result IP H ER BB SO Blake Snell 90 NLCS 1 2025-10-13 MIL W 2-1 8.0 1 0 0 10 Don Sutton 84 NLCS 1 1974-10-05 PIT W 3-0 9.0 4 0 1 6 Tommy John 81 NLCS 2 1978-10-05 PHI W 4-0 9.0 4 0 2 4 Orel Hershiser 80 NLCS 7 1988-10-12 NYM W 6-0 9.0 5 0 2 5 Clayton Kershaw 78 NLCS 2 2016-10-16 CHC W 1-0 7.0 2 0 1 6 Don Sutton 78 NLCS 4 1974-10-09 PIT W 12-1 8.0 3 1 1 7 Jack Flaherty 77 NLCS 1 2024-10-13 NYM W 9-0 7.0 2 0 2 6 Fernando Valenzuela 77 NLCS 5 1981-10-19 MON W 2-1 8.2 3 1 3 6 Zack Greinke 75 NLCS 1 2013-10-11 STL L 2-3 (13) 8.0 4 2 1 10 Tommy John 75 NLCS 4 1977-10-08 PHI W 4-1 9.0 7 1 2 8 Clayton Kershaw 74 NLCS 5 2018-10-17 MIL W 5-2 7.0 3 1 2 9 Hyun Jin Ryu 74 NLCS 3 2013-10-14 STL W 3-0 7.0 3 0 1 4 Rich Hill 72 NLCS 3 2016-10-18 CHC W 6-0 6.0 2 0 2 6 Vicente Padilla 71 NLCS 2 2009-10-16 PHI W 2-1 7.1 4 1 1 6 Clayton Kershaw 70 NLCS 2 2013-10-12 STL L 0-1 6.0 2 0 1 5 Don Sutton 69 NLCS 2 1977-10-05 PHI W 7-1 9.0 9 1 0 4 Tim Belcher 68 NLCS 2 1988-10-05 NYM W 6-3 8.1 5 3 3 10 Burt Hooton 68 NLCS 4 1981-10-17 MON W 7-1 7.1 5 0 3 5 Jerry Reuss 68 NLCS 1 1983-10-04 PHI L 0-1 8.0 5 1 3 3 Orel Hershiser 66 NLCS 1 1988-10-04 NYM L 2-3 8.1 7 2 1 6 Clayton Kershaw 66 NLCS 5 2017-10-19 CHC W 11-1 6.0 3 1 1 5 Burt Hooton 65 NLCS 1 1981-10-13 MON W 5-1 7.1 6 0 3 2 Fernando Valenzuela 65 NLCS 2 1983-10-05 PHI W 4-1 8.0 7 1 4 5 Fernando Valenzuela 65 NLCS 5 1985-10-14 STL L 2-3 8.0 4 2 8 7Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 10/14/2025.
Blake & Blake bookend the Dodgers to 2025 NLCS game one victory
Game one of the 2025 NLCS was a game that will be talked about forever in both Dodger and Brewer lore.
You had Blake Snell throwing the greatest NLCS game in Dodger history
You had the craziest baserunning blunder by the Dodgers since the 2005 NYM fiasco.
You had Freddie Freeman hit an actual moon scraping fly ball home run
You had Kiké Hernández trying and failing to bunt only to drop a single into right field
You had Blake Treinen close the game with pure luck
Let’s starts with Blake Snell who throw the greatest game of great career. Snell finished his eight innings facing only the minimum 24 batters giving up one hit and quickly erasing that runner by picking him off. He struck out 10, he walked zero. He was fabulous. His game score will tell just how fabulous. These are the best non World Series Postseason Los Angeles Dodger game scores:
Player GmSc Series Gm Date Opp Result IP H ER BB SO Blake Snell 90 NLCS 1 2025-10-13 MIL W 2-1 8.0 1 0 0 10 Don Sutton 84 NLCS 1 1974-10-05 PIT W 3-0 9.0 4 0 1 6 Tommy John 81 NLCS 2 1978-10-05 PHI W 4-0 9.0 4 0 2 4 Clayton Kershaw 81 NLDS 2 2018-10-05 ATL W 3-0 8.0 2 0 0 3 Orel Hershiser 80 NLCS 7 1988-10-12 NYM W 6-0 9.0 5 0 2 5
While Blake Snell does have a higher game score than the 2020 Wildcard game by Clayton Kershaw, I would still rank the Kershaw game above what Snell did yesterday for one large reason. Kershaw did it in a Wild Card format where you lose you go home, while Snell did it in a game one of a best of seven series. Over 50 years ago, Don Sutton shut out the Pirates in the 1974 Game One NLCS when that was the only postseason series before the World Series. Until, last night, that game was greatest NLCS pitched game in the Dodger history, but I think you can safely slide Blake Snell into that number one seat now because the margin of victory was one run, and the Dodgers needed all of those eight near perfect innings to beat the Brewers.
I’m not going to compare any of these games against games pitched in the World Series because the World Series is the World Series. So even though Blake Snell does have the highest game score in Dodger postgame history, I’m not going to pretend that an NLCS game one can be measured against pitching a game seven in 1965 against the Twins, or shutting out the vaunted 1963 Yankee’s.
As a Dodger fan I never thought I’d see a postseason blunder that could compare to two Dodgers being thrown out at home plate against the NYM, but the 2025 Dodgers surprised me and all their fans by doubling down by somehow having a bases loaded ball bounce off the fence and have their runners forced out at both home and 3rd base. Luckily, the Dodgers won this game, unlike the loss to the NYM.
Freddie Freeman got the Dodgers on the board with a high high high fly ball to right field that stayed up in the air long enough for many Dodger fans to chug a whole beer before it landed in the seats to give the Dodgers a 1 – 0 lead.
Kiké Hernández continues to make his case as the greatest LAD postseason hitter. This time it seemed like a very simple single to right field but there was nothing simple about it. Kiké tried to bunt and failed. Twice. Down in the count 0 -2 against one of the better relief pitchers in baseball he somehow managed to punch a single into right field which was the key hit to getting that second run which would turn into the winning margin.
Blake Snell pitched just about a perfect eight innings, but Dave Roberts went to his new closer Roki Sasaki who struggled for the first time in the 2025 postseason. Outside of one hard hit ball by Bauers which might have been caught if the Dodgers had been playing a normal no doubles defense in the 9th he wasn’t really bad. Sasaki appeared to be squeezed on the walk to Collins for ball four but nonetheless, Sasaki departed with two out and two on. I would venture a guess that less than one percent of Dodger fans were happy that Roberts turned to the 2024 Postseason hero Blake Treinen to get that last out. Blake walkd Contreras after getting a head of him 0 – 2 to load the bases. He also got in front of Brice Turang 1 – 2 before throwing ball two right at the back leg of Turang who is now being mimicked all over Los Angeles for kicking his leg out of the way instead of letting his leg give the Brewers a tie game. None of this would have mattered if Brice had then delivered, but instead, Brice swung at a pitch so high, that it would have been a ball even to Aaron Judge.
Of course, this game will only be remembered if the Dodgers win the series, next summer we can get the Dodger Bobblehead showing Brice Turang doing everything he could do to avoid getting hit by a pitch that would have tied a NLCS game one in the bottom of the 9th.
Such is postseason baseball.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 