Blake Snell looked absolutely dialed in during his final regular season start, and Kiké Hernández delivered the game-winning homer in the ninth, lifting the Dodgers to a hard-fought 4-3 win over the Giants on Saturday afternoon at Oracle Park.
Snellzilla Unleashed!
Did you *see* Snell on the mound? This was his final tuneup before the postseason kicks off, and he pitched four innings, letting up just one run. Crucially, there were zero limitations from that left groin tightness he had back on September 16 in Cincinnati. Manager Dave Roberts wasn’t pushing him too hard, telling reporters earlier that day, “If he can go five innings and come out of it feeling great, that would be fantastic. There’s a balance between getting your work in and making sure you feel good coming out of it.”
Snell threw 77 pitches, which wasn’t super efficient, but get this: he didn’t walk *anyone*! And his fastball? He cranked out his two fastest pitches of the whole season in the first inning, hitting a scorching 98.6 mph and 98.2 mph, averaging a blistering 96.8 mph on the day. That’s serious gas! He did give up one run when Jonah Cox doubled to open the third, then swiped third, and scored on a sacrifice fly. The Giants even swiped two bases off him on Saturday, making it 10 steals he’s allowed in nine starts this season. But honestly, who cares? Since coming off the injured list, he’s only given up five runs total, never more than one in any start. His on-base percentage against is a tiny .260, with just 25 hits and 14 walks in 39 2/3 innings. Oh, and here’s a wild one: Snell hasn’t given up a single home run all season. His 42 2/3 innings without a long ball is the seventh most by a Dodgers pitcher in the live-ball era. This guy is on a postseason mission!
Mookie Magic and Kiké’s Clutch Shot
The Dodgers offense took a bit to get going, just like last Sunday at Dodger Stadium. Giants rookie Matt Wilkinson kept them scoreless for a while, showing some composure. But then Mookie Betts stepped up in the third inning and absolutely crushed one into the left field seats. That’s Mookie to the seats, baby! Betts has been on a tear, hitting seven homers this September alone. Think about it: he only had five combined dingers in July and August! His seasonal OPS has jumped from .701 at the start of September to an impressive .783 now, with only one day left in the regular season. What a month for him.
And then, in the ninth, when the game was on the line, who else but Kiké Hernández? He stepped up to the plate and hammered a homer that sealed the 4-3 victory. Clutch. The team really did most of their damage after Wilkinson was out of the game, proving they just keep grinding.
With the postseason starting in just a week, seeing Snell look this healthy and throwing absolute heat, combined with Mookie’s red-hot bat and Kiké delivering in the clutch, has to make fans super hyped. This team looks ready to roll into October. Get ready, baseball world, the Dodgers are coming!
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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