Dodgers Interview: Blake Snell on Game 1

LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell gets the ball Tuesday and he sounds ready. He said he knew “a while ago” that he’d be the Game 1 starter, and the assignment has him stoked. “I’m excited. There’s no better feeling than being Game 1, starting it off. The goal is to get us off to a good start, to win, and go from there.”

Yes, the last time he faced the Reds he threw a no-hitter (with the Giants on 8/1/24). Cool memory, but Snell isn’t building this start off memories. “It was so long ago. They’ve changed, I’ve changed, a lot’s changed. This is a postseason game, so stakes are higher. It’s going to be a more exciting game. Good chess match. We’ve got good hitters, guys that are hot. I’m excited to see the matchup on offense.”

His last three outings have been sharp. He credits feel more than a magic tweak. “Just feel and understanding. I know what’s working and I go with it. I’m not forcing pitches when I know they’ll win even if they’re not that good. I’m attacking with the fastball and I’ve been locating it well. A lot of good feel and understanding has put me in good positions to have good results.”

Those four months away from the mound were real work. He didn’t dress it up. “The four months were tough. It was a lot of work, a lot of back and forth, trying to push but be smart at the same time. I might not have pitched, but it was a lot. To be where I’m at now, I’m thankful and appreciative of everything I went through to get here, and I still feel like I’m getting better and learning more.”

Why the Dodgers. October was the reason. “Pitching in October is everything. That’s a big reason I came here. I want to challenge myself and see how good I am, face the best when the stakes are the highest. That’s what I’ve always wanted. I couldn’t be more excited to be in this position.”

Snell’s history says he trends up late. He has a simple view of why. “You learn and correct mistakes. As the season goes on, you learn swings, you learn so much that it’s hard not to get better. That’s why I think I have a better second half.”

Even while rehabbing, he tried to keep the learning curve steep. “You watch the other team, watch our team, learn swings, and go through in your head what you’d do if you were out there. Every time you watch a game you’re running down situations and putting yourself in them. When you get out there, you feel the game out and go, this is what I’d do, this is what I’m going to do.”

He feels the room building toward the moment, but he kept it grounded. “Everyone’s getting excited for postseason ball. I don’t know if I sensed a shift. I just know all of us are really excited about October and what we can accomplish. Now that it’s here, the best part is we get to prove it to ourselves and see how good of a team we really are together. That’s exciting for us.”

Bottom line for Game 1. Snell has the ball, the plan, and the mindset. Attack with the fastball. Read swings. Lean on what’s working. He is not selling revenge or headlines. He is selling strikes and calm. Which is usually how Game 1s go to the home side.

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