Tarik Skubal Gives the Dodgers Exactly What They Paid For in Game 1

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal dominated the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dodgers took their first step toward a three-peat on Saturday, and Tarik Skubal led the way.

The 29-year-old lefty showed why the Dodgers went all-in to land him at the trade deadline by dominating the Braves over six innings in Game 1 of the NLDS. Skubal battled 100-degree temperatures on the mound at Dodger Stadium, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts on 94 pitches. He left the game with a 5–1 lead, and L.A. finished off Atlanta 5–3 to take an early lead in the series. 

Coming off of back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards and with free agency looming, Skubal was the hottest name available at the deadline this year. Baseball’s Goliath acquired him from the Tigers in exchange for prospects Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith. He didn’t come cheap, but on Saturday Skubal made the Dodgers’ steep investment look worthwhile. 

After allowing a single to Drake Baldwin to open the game, Skubal proceeded to set down 15 Braves hitters in a row. Catcher Sean Murphy ended that streak when he led off the sixth inning with a solo home run to center field. That was all the damage Atlanta would do.

Tarik Skubal, K'ing the Side in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/0EMKECsseV

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 3, 2026

As usual, Skubal relied heavily on his four-seam fastball and in the Chavez Ravine heat, he pumped it in at an average of 98.1 mph, about 1.5 mph faster than his regular season average. In the first inning his fastball sat at 97.8 mph, while it averaged 98.2 mph in his final inning. He threw 24 changeups and generated eight of his 13 whiffs with the pitch. 

Despite the heat, Skubal showed no signs of wearing down. If anything, his stuff looked sharper as the afternoon wore on.

Skubal pitched well after joining the Dodgers in early August, but didn’t have the air of invincibility he showed over the past few seasons. In his last start of the season against the Giants, he put on a classic Skubal performance, pitching seven shutout innings, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out 10. He carried that momentum into his first postseason start in Dodger Blue. 

Saturday’s start marked Skubal’s seventh postseason appearance and, based on the numbers, he’s clearly not fazed by October baseball. In his career he’s now 3–1 in the playoffs with a 1.97 ERA, a 0.72 WHIP and 63 strikeouts against eight walks in 45 2/3 innings.  

With Skubal, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow all healthy, L.A.’s rotation looks preposterously loaded. On Saturday, Skubal showed just how unfair it could be.

Dodgers Show Lineup Depth

L.A. scored five runs on Saturday, all of them coming via the long ball. More importantly, the damage came from the bottom of the team’s lineup. 

Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman combined to go 3-for-14 with a run scored, two walks and a strikeout. It was the other guys who came through for the Dodgers. 

Teoscar Hernández went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run that gave L.A. the lead in the bottom of the fourth. After the Braves scratched back a run in the top of the sixth, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy both homered in the bottom half. Tucker’s was a two-run bomb, while Muncy followed two batters later with a solo effort. 

Teoscar Hernández’s fourth-inning home run set the tone for the Dodgers’ bats against the Braves Saturday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Those three combined to go 5-for-12 with all five RBIs.

It was yet another example of how deep the Dodgers are. Atlanta kept the team’s top four hitters largely in check but still gave up five runs. There are no easy outs in the lineup. 

Like its pitching staff, L.A.’s lineup gives opponents no time to breathe. And that’s why the Dodgers are heavily favored to win their third straight World Series.

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