Dodgers Pitching Staff On the Verge of Unthinkable Postseason History

After the Dodgers defeated the Mets, 8-0, Wednesday night, Los Angeles has recorded four shutout wins this postseason. The only club with more shutout wins in a single postseason are the 2016 Cleveland Guardians with a total of five, per MLB researcher Sarah Langs.

The Dodgers have joined six other clubs after recording four shutout wins: Atlanta Braves (2020 and 2021), San Francisco Giants (2010 and 2012), New York Yankees (1998), and the New York Giants (1905).

The Dodgers pitching staff has already tied the MLB record for tossing 33 consecutive scoreless innings this postseason. The only other club to do so was the Baltimore Orioles in 1966.

The accomplishments of the Dodgers pitching staff are even more impressive given the amount of injuries the group has had to deal with throughout the season.

The Dodgers starting rotation is missing Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, and Clayton Kershaw. All were sidelined by injury ahead of the postseason. Additionally, several key relievers like Brusdar Graterol and Joe Kelly suffered injuries before October.

Going into the NLDS, the Dodgers were slated as underdogs. The Padres had everything they needed to beat the Dodgers for the second time in three years. The San Diego starters were unstoppable. The Padres bullpen looked unbeatable. The dynamic Padres lineup looked too good to hold off.

Nevertheless, the Dodgers’ 33 consecutive scoreless inning streak began in Game 3 of the NLDS. They now have four postseason shutouts in their last five games.

The three starters that the Dodgers have turned to in October — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, and Walker Buehler — have done every thing the club would’ve hoped they would do.

The pitching has helped the Dodgers gain a 2-1 lead in the NLCS over the Mets. The Los Angeles lineup has also done its part.

Kiké Hernández hit a two-run homer to put the Dodgers up 4-0 in the sixth inning.

“For Kiké to have that at-bat — eight-, nine-pitch at-bat, get the ball up the zone and hit a homer, that was huge,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was enormous. I thought it gave Walker a little breathing room. I thought it allowed for me to use the pen.

“And then it allowed guys like Shohei to kind of catch a breath and extend the lead. And obviously Max had a huge game, continues to get on base, gets big hits. But the Kiké homer, biggest hit of the game.”

Dodgers fans hope the pitching staff can replicate their lights out performance in Game 4 of the NLCS.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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