Well, Los Angeles Dodgers fans? We got what we wanted — a big Game 1 win over the Reds. But it didn’t come without a scare. For seven innings, everything was clicking. Blake Snell looked every bit like the October ace L.A. signed him to be. The offense was blasting homers left and right. It felt like cruise control. Then came the 8th inning… and suddenly, every Dodger fan’s stomach dropped.
Dodgers Win Game 1
The Reds, down 10–2, nearly made history. The largest postseason comeback ever came in 1929 when the Philadelphia A’s stormed back from 8–0. Cincinnati flirted with that same magic, cutting deep into L.A.’s lead and forcing Dave Roberts to burn through three pitchers in one frame.
In that inning alone: 59 pitches, 32 strikes, 4 walks, 3 earned runs, and a whole lot of panic. The last time a bullpen threw that many pitches in a single postseason inning? 1988. This feels like a disaster waiting to happen.
And let’s be honest here: the bullpen hasn’t exactly earned our trust. Ranked 21st in ERA during the regular season, walking 240 batters and coughing up 312 earned runs, they were already the weak spot. Tuesday night didn’t erase that narrative. If anything, it poured gasoline on it.
Yes, L.A. walked away with the win. But using four pitchers over the final two innings of a blowout is not a recipe you want in a short three-game series. If this were the NLDS or NLCS, that kind of mismanagement could haunt them for weeks. As much as this team is built on Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, and Snell, October baseball is cruel. Bullpens decide titles.
But hey — let’s not ignore the positives. Shohei Ohtani was otherworldly, belting two homers and driving in three runs. Teoscar Hernández matched him with two bombs and four RBIs. Betts and Freeman each chipped in multi-hit nights, and yes, even Ben Rortvedt had his moment. Blake Snell’s line (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 1 BB) is exactly the kind of outing the Dodgers need to survive October.
By the time Blake Treinen closed the door in the 9th, the win was in hand. But the questions linger.
Because if the Dodgers’ bullpen implodes again, it won’t just be a scary inning in Game 1. It could be the reason they don’t get the parade.
Other Wild Card Games
The Detroit Tigers took the first game of their series against the Cleveland Guardians with Tarik Skubal pitching an absolute gem. He went through 7.2 innings, gave up 1 run, and struck out 14 batters. He gave up 3 hits and 3 walks. A sacrifice bunt by Zach McKinstry in the 7th inning helped Riley Greene score, giving the Tigers the lead run. FINAL SCORE: TIGERS 2, GUARDIANS 1
The San Diego Padres lost to the Chicago Cubs 3-1, as the Padres just couldn’t get their offense going. Matthew Boyd had 4 solid innings, with 4 hits, and 1 earned run. Nick Pivetta, who pitched for the Padres, also had a very good game, giving up 2 runs and striking out 9 in 5 innings of work.
Then we have the Boston Red Sox vs the New York Yankees. The Yankees, who had Anthony Volpe homer in the 2nd inning, could not score a run after that. A Masataka Yoshida single scored 2 runs, and in the 9th, a Bregman double sealed the deal as the Red Sox took game 1 3-1.
Something interesting to note is if we add up all the runs in these 3 games: 2+1+3+1+3+1. It would equal to 11 runs. The Dodgers and Reds scored a total of 15 runs in their battle.
Here’s to a better Game 2 — and hopefully a calmer bullpen.
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