With apologies to Orel Hershiser<\/a> and his classic run in 1988, the three postseason starts put up by Koufax in 1965<\/a> practically mirror the three postseason starts put up by Snell so far in 2025.<\/p>\n Koufax: 24 innings, 13 hits, two runs, five walks, 29 strikeouts.<\/p>\n Snell: 21 innings, six hits, two runs, five walks, 28 strikeouts.<\/p>\n Koufax won the Dodgers a World Series<\/a>, at a time the World Series was the entire postseason. Hershiser won the Dodgers a World Series<\/a> at a time the postseason was two rounds.<\/p>\n For this year\u2019s Dodgers, winning the World Series would require four postseason rounds, which could allow Snell to deliver the most sustained streak of October dominance in the history of a franchise built upon a foundation of pitching.<\/p>\n Snell shut out the Milwaukee Brewers for eight innings on Monday, the undisputed star as the Dodgers opened the National League Championship Series with a 2-1 victory<\/a>. If the Dodgers win the World Series, Snell figures to have two or three more starts.<\/p>\n If you are a free agent that wants to play in the postseason and measure yourself against the best, as Snell did<\/a>, you sign with the team that has made the playoffs 13 years running.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to be a Dodger and play on that team,\u201d Snell said. \u201cTo be here now, it\u2019s a dream come true.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t wish for anything more. I\u2019m just going to do the best I can to help us win a World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n There was only one thing Snell failed to do Monday, and the failure was on the Dodgers, not on him. The failure very nearly cost the Dodgers the game.<\/p>\n Sandy Koufax pitches for the Dodgers in Game 2 of the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins.<\/p>\n (Associated Press)<\/p>\n In the 1965 postseason, Koufax pitched two complete games. In 1988, Hershiser pitched three.<\/p>\n Snell could have pitched one Monday. He could have pitched the ninth, he said, but he trusted his manager to make the call.<\/p>\n He is a victim of the modern game. The Dodgers had no complete games this season. In 222 regular season starts, Snell has one \u2014 and he had to throw a no-hitter to do it.<\/p>\n On Monday, he faced the minimum 24 batters over eight innings, giving up one hit and then picking off the runner. The last pitcher to face the minimum over eight innings of a postseason game: Don Larsen<\/a> of the New York Yankees, in his 1956 perfect game.<\/p>\n Pat Murphy, the Brewers\u2019 manager, called Snell\u2019s outing \u201cthe most dominant performance against us\u201d in the 10 years he has coached or managed here.<\/p>\n Milwaukee scored more runs than any NL team besides the Dodgers.<\/p>\n The Brewers are terrific at putting the ball in play \u2014 only two NL teams struck out fewer times than Milwaukee \u2014 and yet Snell struck out 10. His other 23 outs: 11 ground balls, a fly ball, a foul out, and that pickoff.<\/p>\n No other Dodgers pitcher \u2014 not Koufax, not Hershiser, not Clayton Kershaw<\/a> \u2014 has pitched at least eight innings and given up one hit or fewer in a postseason game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve all known this: Blake, when he\u2019s right, is the best pitcher in the game,\u201d Kershaw said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Snell had made 103 pitches through eight innings. His season high was 112. The Dodgers led, 2-0, with the bottom of the Brewers order coming up.<\/p>\n \u201cTough one for me,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts<\/a> said.<\/p>\n Snell had not pitched into the ninth inning since that no-hitter 14 months ago. The Dodgers plan to use him on regular rest in Game 5 of this series. Roberts summoned the closer of the moment, Roki Sasaki<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was 50-50,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cRoki has been throwing the ball really well.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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