Dodgers Interview: Snell on his first postseason in Dodger blue

Name: Dodgers Interview: Snell on his first postseason in Dodger blue
Uploaded: 2025-09-30T22:24:34-07:00
Channel: Steve Webb
Description: https://youtu.be/Mw7LrRagAc0?si=yE7MJ08vAQPlSaF0 LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers asked for length and Blake Snell gave them seven strong. Four hits. Two earned. A night that steadied everything behind him and put the bullpen on a lighter load heading into Wednesday. He didn’t oversell it. He talked about reads, adjustments, and a plan that grew pitch by pitch.

Steve Webb

2 minutes read

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts to Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds being called safe at first base during the seventh inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Dodger Stadium on September 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers asked for length and Blake Snell gave them seven strong. Four hits. Two earned. A night that steadied everything behind him and put the bullpen on a lighter load heading into Wednesday. He didn’t oversell it. He talked about reads, adjustments, and a plan that grew pitch by pitch.

Asked about Terry Francona’s praise for the way he mixed the changeup to set up the fastball, Snell said the plan came from what he saw in real time. “I was seeing how aggressive they were to the fastball,” he said. “I adjusted and felt like the changeup was what was best.” He stuck with it because the swings told him to. “I could read swings and just kind of navigate through the lineup the way I wanted to.”

Seven innings in October hits different, and Snell knew what it did for the dugout. “It felt good to go deep in a ball game,” he said. “I’ve got to control that last inning, but outside of that I felt really in control.” Then he widened the lens. “It’s very important. The farther the starters go in the game, one, it means we’re pitching good, but two, you’re giving the bullpen a break and a breather and they get to be 100 percent every time they come out. It makes for a different game that favors us.”

The game’s first two half-innings shaped the mood. Snell’s quick work in the top, then Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff rocket in the bottom. “It definitely sets the tone,” Snell said. “From there the mindset is attack and put up a zero the next inning. Get the guys back in the dugout so they can hit and get into a rhythm.”

He kept the postgame focus on his own lane. Philadelphia questions can wait. “Not right now,” he said when asked if he was already mentally prepping for the next round. “I’m going to break down the start, see what I like, what I didn’t like, how I get better, and go from there.”

Snell also weighed in on the unique rhythm of this Wild Card round, where there was no long layoff after the season. “I don’t know. I’m not a hitter,” he said with a small smile. “I haven’t asked them either. They just got to keep hitting and keep going. Maybe it is an advantage. I’ve seen teams stall out in the Division Series, but it’s a good question.”

What wasn’t in question was how Dodger Stadium sounded. Snell pitched in neutral-site playoffs during the 2020 bubble. This was not that. “It was awesome,” he said. “There’s nothing better than pitching a postseason game in front of your home crowd. To be able to enjoy that and pitch meant a lot.”

He came back to the basics that got him through seven. “I felt really in control,” he said again. “Read swings. Navigate through the lineup.” The changeup did its job. The fastball played off it. And the Dodgers walked out with a 1–0 series lead and a rested back end.

Snell’s parting note matched the way he worked all night. Study, adjust, attack. “I’ll break down the start,” he said. “See what I liked, what I didn’t like, how I get better, and go from there.”

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