Game Notes, 10/13/2025 – LCS Day 2

In 2001, Randy Johnson – author of 21 regular season wins, an MLB-best 2.49 ERA and a universe-vibrating 372 strikeouts – had the chance to continue his otherworldliness into the postseason.  Chance received, challenge accepted, opportunity knocked outta the park.  In six appearances that October and early November, the southpaw notched five wins, fanned 47 in 41.1 innings, posted a 1.52 ERA and held batters to a wimpy .172 batting average.  For sheer dominance in any one outing, his Game 1 start in the NLCS is a good place to begin:  a three-hit shutout featuring 11 bewildered Braves going back to the dugout while the gleeful Diamondbacks fans hung another ‘K’ sign.  In the long history of the League Championship Series, a lineage that dates back to 1969 and has submitted shots to 226 starting pitchers, no one has come through quite like Johnson (well, maybe Mike Scott in 1986 – it’s a fair argument). 

Blake Snell just came close.  

*Dodgers v. Brewers, NLCS Game 1*

Blake Snell spun a masterpiece, allowing one hit in eight scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks.  The masterwork can be viewed from a number of different angles, so sit/stand, whatever, and let’s take a long look.  

~From a Dodgers’ POV, Snell produced the highest Game Score – 90 – ever, nosing out Don Drysdale’s own jewel, an 89 from Game 3 of the 1963 World Series when the right-hander hurled a three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and a walk (the free pass was intentional).  

~That 90 Game Score also ushered Snell into a club rostered by 21 other postseason pitchers whose lines equated to a 90+ evaluation.  The 90+s that came from any Game 1, chronologically:

1968 WS      Bob Gibson 5-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts and one walk = 93 Game Score

1986 NLCS   Mike Scott 5-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts and a walk = 90

1998 NLDS   Kevin Brown 8.0 IP with two hits, no runs, 16 K’s and two walks = 92

2001 NLCS   Randy Johnson 3-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and one walk = 91

2010 NLDS   Roy Halladay no-hitter with eight strikeouts and a walk = 94

2010 NLDS   Tim Lincecum 2-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts and one walk = 96

2025 NLCS   Blake Snell 8.0 IP with one hit, no runs, 10 K’s and no walks = 90

~There are, with Snell added to the mix, 151 postseason pitchers who’ve reached double-digit strikeouts.  There are, with Snell the latest, 25 pitchers to couple their 10+ K’s with zero walks.  Add in no runs allowed and we’re down to seven, including Snell.  That septet, from fewest to most hits allowed:

1   Blake Snell in Game 1 of the 2025 NLCS

2   Trevor Bauer in Game 1 of the 2020 NLWC

3   Cliff Lee in Game 3 of the 2009 NLCS

5   Jake Arrieta in the 2015 NLWC

5   Logan Webb in Game 1 of the 2021 NLDS

5   Michael King in Game 1 of the 2024 NLWC

5   Cam Schlittler in Game 3 of the 2025 ALWC

~Snell entered this Game 1 having punched out nine batters in each of his first two outings of this postseason.  He’s the seventh hurler to string together three straight 9+ K outings from the start of a postseason, joining Bob Gibson (1964), Sandy Koufax (1965), Curt Schilling (2001), Cliff Lee (2010), Justin Verlander (2013) and Tarik Skubal (2025).

~This gem marked Snell’s 13th career postseason start (he also has made two relief appearances).  The southpaw now owns a 2.58 ERA in these 15 appearances, giving him the 14th lowest career ERA for any postseason pitcher with at least 10 starts (there are 89 of them).  Right now, he fits between Orlando Hernández (2.55) and Orel Hershiser (2.59).  Among these same 89, Snell’s 5.7 hits allowed per nine innings is bettered by only Zack Wheeler’s 4.7.  

~Snell is 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in 21.0 innings in his three starts this postseason.  He’s the 44th pitcher to open a postseason winning each of his first three (or more) appearances, and the fourth Dodger.  Some details on his three franchise-forebears:

1974    Don Sutton opens 3-0 in three starts with a 1.08 ERA in 25.0 innings

1981    Burt Hooton opens 3-0 in three starts with a 0.42 ERA in 21.2 innings

2020    Julio Urías opens 4-0 in one start and three relief appearances, with a 0.56 ERA in 16.0 innings

Freddie Freeman homered in the sixth inning to break a 0-0 tie.  The first baseman hit the 300th longball in Dodgers postseason history, one of six he’s contributed.  At six, he’s matched with Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Teoscar Hernández for 13th on the club’s lifetime list.  

~The Dodgers are the second franchise to reach 300 round-trippers, joining the Yankees and their 483.  Two other clubs have cleared the 200-barrier, the Astros (205) and Braves (201).  

~Freeman’s jack marked the fourth of his postseason career that gave his team the lead in the sixth inning or later (two of these four came with the Braves).  One player – aside from Freeman – has produced as many of these:  Carlos Correa with four.  

~Freeman also doubled in the Game 1 win, giving him 15 two-base hits in the postseason to go along with 15 four-baggers (he also has one triple).  His 31 extra-base hits tie him with his former teammate Chipper Jones for 18th on the all-time list.

Jackson Chourio delivered the Brewers’ only run via a sac fly in the ninth, his 10th career postseason RBI. He’s the sixth player to reach double digits in the category before turning 22 years old, joining Andruw Jones (14), Juan Soto (14), Rafael Devers (13), Miguel Cabrera (12) and Mickey Mantle (10).  

With the Dodgers’ win in Milwaukee, road teams are now 37-43 in LCS Game 1s since 1985.  The Dodgers hadn’t won Game 1 of an NLCS on the road since 1978, having lost their five most recent dalliances in this scenario (2008, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021).

*Mariners v. Blue Jays, ALCS Game 2*

Starting with Jorge Polanco’s tie-breaking three-run home run in the fifth, the Mariners scored seven unanswered runs and went on to defeat the Blue Jays, 10-3.  With the win, Seattle opened a 2-0 lead in the series, with both victories coming in Toronto.

~Polanco ended his day with a single and the home run and three more RBI in his postseason account book, now showing eight runs knocked in for the 2025 campaign.  With the three driven in on Monday, the switch-hitter has three multi-RBI games this postseason, which is the most in any one year for any Mariner.  Polanco’s eight RBI through the club’s first seven postseason games represents the second most in any year for a Mariner, behind Edgar Martínez’s 10 in 1995.  In ’95, Ken Griffey, Jr. also had eight.

~Dating back to 1985 (the year the LCS expanded to a best-of-seven format), 16 road teams have won the first two games of the series.  11 of the previous 15 went on to sweep the series or win it in five games and 14 of the 15 did ultimately win the series.  The breakdown is below, starting with the one club that went on to lose the LCS, albeit in odd “road/home” circumstances.

Lose Series in 7 Games

2020 Braves to the Dodgers (all games played in Texas, at Globe Life Field)

Sweep Series

1988 Athletics 

1990 Athletics

1995 Braves 

2006 Tigers 

2007 Rockies

2012 Tigers 

2014 Royals

2019 Nationals

Win Series in 5 Games

2000 Mets
2001 Yankees 

2002 Giants

Win Series in 6 Games

1993 Blue Jays 

1998 Padres

Win Series in 7 Games

2023 Rangers 

Cal Raleigh went hitless in the Game 2 win, but did draw two walks and score a pair of runs.  The catcher owns a 1.078 OPS this postseason and has reached base 16 times in the team’s first seven games.  

~For all Mariners through seven postseason games in any one year, Raleigh’s 16 times on base ties for the third most, behind Edgar Martínez’s 20 in 1995 and Ken Griffey, Jr.’s 17 in 1995 and matched with the 16 from Jay Buhner in 1995 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.

~For all Mariners through seven postseason games in any one year with a minimum of 21 plate appearances, Raleigh’s 1.078 OPS ranks as the fifth highest; these five works of art:

1.552 from Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1995

1.349 from Edgar Martínez in 1995

1.148 from Jay Buhner in 1995

1.144 from Ichiro Suzuki in 2001

1.078 from Cal Raleigh in 2025

Josh Naylor filled up his line in the box score – singling twice, contributing a two-run home run, stealing a base.   The first baseman joined another at the position – John Olerud in Game 5 of the 2000 ALCS – as the only Mariners to post a homer and a steal in the same postseason game.  For all teams, 141 players have accomplished this particular feat, with Lou Brock and Bernie Williams sharing top honors for having done it the most times, three. 

Toronto’s right fielder Nathan Lukes produced three singles, the seventh three-hit game by a Blue Jay this postseason (two apiece from Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and Ernie Clement; one each from Lukes, Addison Barger and Daulton Varsho).  Entering this year’s postseason, 27 Blue Jays had produced a three-hit (or more hit) game, with the most in any one year resting at 12, in 1993.  Roberto Alomar is responsible for the biggest individual slice, with six total (three in 1992 and three in 1993).

Toronto’s George Springer doubled for his 39th career postseason extra-base hit.  He owns the sixth most, behind – in ascending order – David Ortiz (41), Manny Ramírez (48), Jose Altuve (48), Bernie Williams (51) and Derek Jeter (57).

Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.