Introduction to the Dodgers’ Dominant Starting Pitchers
The fans in an outdoor stadium in Philadelphia are louder than the fans in an indoor stadium in Milwaukee. No contest. They are respectful and truly nice here. They booed Shohei Ohtani, but half-heartedly, almost out of obligation. In Philadelphia, they booed Ohtani relentlessly, and with hostility.
The Impact of the Dodgers’ Starting Pitchers
The Dodgers have silenced the enemy crowd wherever they go this October. The Dodgers are undefeated on the road in this postseason: 2-0 in Philadelphia, and now 2-0 in Milwaukee. The Dodgers have deployed four silencers. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Ohtani.
The Starting Pitchers’ Performance
The Dodgers won the World Series last year with home runs and bullpen games and New York Yankees foibles, but not with starting pitching. In 16 games last October, the Dodgers had more bullpen games (four) than quality starts (two), and the starters posted a 5.25 earned-run average. In eight games this October, the Dodgers have seven quality starts, and not coincidentally they are 7-1. The starters have posted a 1.54 ERA, the lowest of any team in National League history to play at least eight postseason games.
Quotes from the Team
“Our starting pitching this entire postseason has been incredible,” said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations. “We knew it would be a strength, but this is beyond what we could have reasonably expected. There are a lot of different ways to win in the postseason, but this is certainly a better-quality-of-life way to do it.” “It’s amazing,” Tyler Glasnow said. “It’s like a show every time you’re out there.”
Momentum and Crowd Reaction
The elders of the sport say that momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher. In a sport in which most teams struggle to identify even one ace, the Dodgers boast four. In the past three games — the clincher against the Phillies and the two here against the Brewers — the Dodgers have not even trailed for a full inning. Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers against the Brewers in the fifth inning Tuesday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Silencing the Crowd
On Monday, as Blake Snell spun eight shutout innings, the Brewers went 0 for 1 with men in scoring position — and that at-bat was the last out of the game. On Tuesday, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game, the Brewers did not get a runner into scoring position. That is momentum. That is also how you shut up an opposing crowd: limit the momentum for their team. “I do think, with what we’ve done in Philly and in coming here, it doesn’t seem like there is much momentum,” Glasnow said.
Conclusion
The Dodgers are two wins from a return trip to the World Series. If they can get those two wins within the next three games, they won’t have to return to Milwaukee, the land of the great sausage race, and of the polka dancers atop the dugout. There may not be another game here this season. They are kind and spirited fans, even if they are not nearly as loud as the Philly Phanatics. “That,” Glasnow said, “is the loudest place I’ve ever been.”
FAQs
Q: How have the Dodgers performed on the road this postseason?
A: The Dodgers are undefeated on the road in this postseason: 2-0 in Philadelphia, and now 2-0 in Milwaukee.
Q: What has been the key to the Dodgers’ success this postseason?
A: The Dodgers’ starting pitching has been incredible, with seven quality starts in eight games and a 1.54 ERA.
Q: How do the Dodgers’ starting pitchers compare to last year’s team?
A: The Dodgers have a stronger starting pitching rotation this year, with four aces in Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Ohtani.
Q: What is the Dodgers’ goal for the remainder of the postseason?
A: The Dodgers are aiming to return to the World Series, and are two wins away from achieving that goal.
