Dodgers Interview: Snell Talks Bullpen, Adustments Before Game 5
LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell met the questions in Tuesday’s presser with his usual laconic half-smile. Game Five is his, and after a rocky Game One, he sounded ready to show the cleaner version. “I just learned things I did wrong, things I did right,” he said. “I can’t really tell you because then that’s telling them. But yeah. Just fastball command needs to be better. I mean, that’s apparent to anyone.” He wasn’t getting into a scouting report. “I could say it after the game,” he added, “but I’m not going to say it before.”
What did Monday’s 18-inning epic do to a clubhouse? Snell said it sharpened belief that was already there. “Just confidence in the team, the guys were going to find a way to win,” he explained. “I’ve played on so many teams and every team’s different every year, but this team, there’s just a confidence and a belief about us that’s different. We know we’re going to win. We’re going to find a way to win. We’re so connected as a team. It’s been a lot of fun just to be a part of it and chase winning.”
There’s also the personal piece. He gets another crack at Toronto. He welcomed that. “I’m thankful for the first start and what I was able to learn and how much better I got from that,” Snell said. “I’m beyond excited that I have another opportunity tomorrow to really display the kind of pitcher that I am and that I’m striving to be. I can’t wait for it. I’m so excited. You want to contribute, and when we’re winning and we’re in the World Series, there’s no better moment than right now.”
He was asked about the phenomenon that is Shohei Ohtani, who reached base nine times in Game Three and then turned around to pitch Game Four. Snell shook his head, partly amused, mostly impressed. “I don’t think I’ll see that ever again, nine times in a row to reach base in one game,” he said. “At least I hope not. That’s a lot. But it doesn’t even amaze me with him anymore. He’s going to do spectacular things all the time and it’s just going to be normal for him. That’s the standard he holds himself to. The respect from the other side with intentionally walking him, then we’re going to pitch to him, and no, we’re not, we’re going to walk him again. What he’s able to do is pretty amazing.” Would he challenge Ohtani if he were on the other side? Snell laughed. “Yeah, I’m pitching. I got nothing to lose.”
As Game Three stretched deeper, there was a brief moment when the possibility of Snell taking the ball on his off day flickered. He walked through it. “I didn’t really think I was going to have the opportunity to pitch,” he said. “I was like, we’re going to find a way to win here every extra inning. And it just kept going and going. Then Mark came and talked to me and I was like, yeah, I’m good if you need me. Then Dave got Yama going and I was like, okay, well, who’s next? It’s pretty apparent I’d be the only one next.” He started to stir just in case. “I’d rather get ready now and be ready to go out there,” he admitted, before circling back to relief. “I’m very thankful Yama didn’t have to go out there and I didn’t have to get ready. We were able to win in the 18th.”
The rematch element intrigues him. He’s built for the chess match when the same hitters and pitcher meet again. “I like it,” he said of facing a club twice in quick succession. “It doesn’t matter good or bad start the first game. The second game’s always going to be better. They always say it’s advantage hitter because they’ve seen you, but I think it’s advantage pitcher because you’ve pitched against them. You know what they can do. It’s fresh in your head. You have an idea.” The blueprint follows. “I just pitched against them and didn’t execute,” he said of Game One. “Now I have an opportunity to go execute and see how good I am and how much those five days in between got me locked in to be the best version of me. I’m going to pitch the same to some guys, different to some guys. You go through that battle. There’s a comfort to it. You’ve already faced them. You know what they can do. Now you just have to execute.”
His praise for the bullpen heroes matched the tone we heard all over the room. Will Klein’s four scoreless frames, on fumes by the end, stood out. “I loved it,” Snell said. “The last two guys that came out of the bullpen both throwing a hundred. Those are the last two guys we’re bringing out of the bullpen. To see what he was able to do and battle, you could tell, especially that last inning, he was on fumes. That was just willpower… it really was.” He didn’t mind the unintentional pun. “He gave everything he had,” Snell continued. “He got us that win. Without him we probably don’t win. He’s only been on this roster… he was in A before. You can’t make that up. That was pretty amazing. That’s a story he’ll have the rest of his life.”
Even in the compliments, he kept steering the conversation toward responsibility. The thing he could control. “Fastball command needs to be better,” he said again, not dressing it up. The team context sits right beside it. “There’s just a confidence and a belief about us,” he repeated. “We’re going to find a way to win.”
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
