DODGER STADIUM (Los Angeles) – After firing six innings of one-run ball in his first playoff start for the Dodgers, delivering exactly what the back-to-back champions envisioned when they traded for the back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner at the deadline, Tarik Skubal returned to his home dugout on a scorching Saturday afternoon and asked his teammates a question. "Has it been this hot all game?" At the time of Skubal’s departure, the video board over the left-field pavilion read "103." The official temperature at first pitch of Game 1 of the National League Division Series was 100 degrees, making it the second-hottest postseason game in Dodger Stadium history, behind only Game 1 of the 2017 World Series. "It's amazing what your brain can do in certain circumstances and moments," Skubal said.
"It's amazing what you can control and kind of eliminate. So, I actually didn’t think it was horrible when I was pitching." It was hot, Skubal eventually conceded. Nothing he hadn’t dealt with before, though.
"I played a Little League game in 127," claimed Skubal, who moved from Northern California to Arizona as a kid. "Lake Havasu." So, rather than withering in the sweltering heat, he melted the Braves’ bats in a 5-3 win. Skubal knew how to handle the adverse conditions, doing his best to stay hydrated and out of the sun as often as possible.
Quick innings would help. He delivered plenty. After Braves designated hitter Drake Baldwin led off the game with a single, Skubal retired the next 15 Atlanta batters he faced, including seven by strikeout.
"That’s why you acquire a guy like him," Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas said. Skubal got eight whiffs with his changeup. His fastball played up, as expected with the added adrenaline of postseason baseball.
Five of his 15 fastest pitches this season came Saturday afternoon, including a 101.1 mph that was his hardest since last year’s American League wild-card series. "I think I was just trying to match the temperature out there," Skubal quipped. As the sun beamed down in the sixth inning, a beacon of light finally appeared for the Braves offense.
After getting ahead 0-2 on Sean Murphy, Skubal left a sinker up at the top of the zone. The Atlanta catcher sent it 421 feet out to center field for a solo shot. The Braves continued to threaten later in the inning after Skubal walked two batters, but the left-hander navigated around the traffic and prevented the inning from spiraling.
He bought time for the Dodgers’ offense to break out, which it eventually did with home runs from Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy in the middle innings. By the time Skubal departed, the Dodgers led 5-1. "He was as advertised," Muncy said.
"It was really fun to see him go out there and do his thing." Skubal had aced his first test, one he considered a privilege. He was informed he would start Game 1 right after he left his final start of the regular season in San Francisco on Sept. 25.
The left-hander was only at 75 pitches after striking out 10 Giants in seven innings, so he figured he was going to keep going. Instead, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts came out, shook Skubal’s hand and delivered the news. "Get ready for Game 1." Skubal was fired up, but he was also deferential.
Many had expected Yoshinobu Yamamoto to get the Game 1 start, and Skubal knew what Yamamoto meant to the team after winning World Series MVP honors last season with a herculean effort in Games 6 and 7. "Tarik was very respectful of Yoshinobu," Roberts said, "but we have thoughts on why we do things, and all these guys are all in for whatever we decide." In a short time, Skubal has also garnered respect in his new clubhouse, not just because of his talent and production but because of how he has embraced his new surroundings, for however long he might be a Dodger. "I just feel like he’s into it," Rojas said.
"It’s really refreshing when you get a guy in the middle of the year and get so much more than just performance. You get a guy that’s helping the rest of the guys in the clubhouse." Rojas noticed that after Skubal’s day was done Saturday, the pitcher didn’t go to the training room. Instead, Skubal stayed in the dugout, wanting to support his teammates.
"The person that he is, the player that he is, the way he works, it just has been awesome," Hernandez told me. "Not only for him, but for everybody in the clubhouse and the organization, to see the way he goes about his business and the dedication he puts in every day." This winter, Skubal is due to become one of the highest-paid pitchers in MLB history, yet Muncy said he hasn’t heard Skubal mention free agency once. Muncy has also noticed how badly Skubal wants the ball in any scenario, despite that looming payday.
After his first playoff start as a Dodger on Saturday, Skubal said he is "absolutely" willing to pitch on short rest or in relief should the situation call for it, much like Yamamoto did last year. "He’s a bull," Rojas said. "He’s one of those guys that you want in the front of your rotation." Luckily for the Dodgers, they have a few of those.
On Sunday, another two-time Cy Young Award winner, Blake Snell, will take the mound for the Dodgers in Game 2. Yamamoto will likely follow in Game 3. For the Braves, the heat won't let up after Saturday's sweltering opener.
"We're in a good spot," Roberts said. "It all starts with winning Game 1."
