It All Starts With Snell

Blake Snell named as the Dodgers' starter for 2025 NLCS Game 1. That pushes Shohei Ohtani all the way to a start at Dodger Stadium (with Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting Game 2's start), which means he will only see one rotation this series:

MILWAUKEE -- The Los Angeles Dodgers will start lefty Blake Snell in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night while righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the ball in Game 2. It means Shohei Ohtani will get just one start in the series, during the middle leg back in Los Angeles.

"He'll pitch at some point, but we just don't know which day," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Sunday.

Unlike in previous spots, the Dodgers are not concerned with pitching Ohtani before a day off, choosing to maximize rest for the other starters as the team embarks on its first best-of-seven series this postseason.

"Not as important," Roberts said. "I think just appreciating having four starters in a potential seven-game series and who can pitch potentially twice, and that's kind of the impetus, versus Shohei having that day off after a game."

Hoo boy. Here we go.