Blake Snell etched his name into playoff history on October 12, 2026, and it was for a performance no pitcher, or their team, ever wants to replicate. This Dodgers left-hander delivered a colossal dud in what was arguably the most important game of the year, leading to a back-breaking, likely season-breaking, home run after being left to hang out to dry in the seventh inning. The bullpen then quickly slammed the door on any remaining hope.
Snell’s Record-Breaking Nightmare at the Worst Time
Get this: Snell became only the second pitcher in history to start a playoff game by giving up a home run and have his last pitch in that very same game go for another home run. The only other guy to do that was John Smoltz back in Game 3 of the 1991 NLCS. Talk about brutal timing. What makes it even wilder is Snell hadn’t allowed a single home run all year before this particular game. Think about that for a second. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts kept Snell in too long in the seventh, a moment that feels like a bitter bookend to the 2020 World Series, where the Rays’ manager famously pulled Snell too early. It’s an ironic twist that could define this era of Dodgers baseball.
Another Year, Another Playoff Heartbreak for L.A.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the Dodgers have absolutely fumbled this NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers. Honestly, the Brewers are playing like they want it more, coming in hungrier, angrier, and just straight up more effectively. L.A.’s offense has been mostly absent, looking so bad you’d think they’d drop a series to the Colorado Rockies right now. This isn’t some new, shocking development either. We’ve seen this movie, heard this song over the past two seasons. It’s just jarring to watch it unfold again in the most critical games of the year. President Lincoln’s old phrase about a general being “confused and stunned like a duck hit on the head” feels pretty apt for how the Dodgers have reacted to adversity in this round. It’s bad, real bad.
The Brewers, meanwhile, are on the cusp of making some serious history. With one more win, they’d make it six out of seven times that in an LCS rematch, the loser from the first year comes back to win. Even more wild? A win today would make the Brewers the first team ever to repay a previous sweep with a sweep of their own the very next year. Tyler Glasnow and that mostly absent Dodgers offense are all that stand between L.A. and Cancun. The good news for Dodgers fans, if you can call it that, is this whole situation will be resolved one way or another in less than eight hours.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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