LOS ANGELES — The secured a championship in 2024 despite having a depleted starting rotation, relying heavily on a dominant bullpen. Then, in 2025, they reversed that strategy by leaning on a strong starting rotation to support a less consistent bullpen and still captured another title. Heading into October this year, it appears the may have combined the best elements of both approaches.
“We have an incredibly talented group of pitchers,” general manager Brandon Gomes remarked Tuesday. “This might be one of the deepest pitching staffs we’ve ever assembled, with plenty of strong options to manage as a unit.”
Focusing on the starting rotation, it remains as formidable as it was last postseason, even without Shohei Ohtani—who hasn’t pitched since July 3 and won’t participate in the playoffs. To replace him, the acquired two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal via trade on August 2.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto continued to be a cornerstone, starting every game for the second straight year. Despite long injury stints, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow made their way back in time to prepare for October. All four starters posted impressive numbers this season:
| Pitcher | Starts | IP | ERA | xERA | BB Rate | K Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skubal* | 26 | 158.7 | 2.72 | 2.94 | 4.4% | 30.0% |
| Yamamoto | 28 | 185 | 2.53 | 2.94 | 5.9% | 25.7% |
| Snell | 9 | 62 | 1.90 | 2.17 | 9.2% | 31.8% |
| Glasnow | 13 | 74 | 3.53 | 2.86 | 8.7% | 34.0% |
*Skubal’s stats include time with both the Tigers and .
“To be honest, we can pretty much draw any of these four guys from a hat and feel good about it,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.
Last year, the quartet of Yamamoto, Snell, Ohtani, and Glasnow combined to make all 17 postseason starts, earning a collective 2.55 ERA over 113 innings, with 127 strikeouts and a 28.5% strikeout rate. Each pitched in Game 7 of the World Series. Notably, Yamamoto closed the final eight outs after starting Game 6 the day before. In fact, Yamamoto’s two complete games marked the ’ first since 1988, and Snell’s starts of eight and seven innings were crucial as well.
While the “quality start” is a basic measure—defined as pitching at least six innings while allowing no more than three earned runs—it remains a reliable indicator of team success. Across MLB this season, teams posted a .693 winning percentage (1,094-484) in games with a quality start, with those starters producing a combined 1.74 ERA.
The led MLB this year with 83 quality starts, eight more than the Phillies’ 75. This marked their highest total since 2015, when they recorded 95 quality starts with a rotation featuring two top Cy Young Award contenders, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. Their record in games with a quality start this season was an impressive 60-23 (.723).
In the 2025 postseason, starters achieved 10 quality starts—the most by any staff since the 2013 Detroit Tigers—and one more than the had combined in their previous five playoff runs spanning 53 games.
The won every game (10-0) when they received a quality start last postseason, with starters allowing just zero or one run in seven of those outings. Two of those were by Ohtani, whom Skubal now replaces. Skubal brought postseason experience, recording three quality starts in as many appearances last year, tallying 36 strikeouts and allowing just four runs over 20 2/3 innings for Detroit.
“Watching Tarik Skubal pitch in the playoffs last year was must-see TV,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in August after acquiring him. “His energy and dominance were captivating, and I can’t wait to see that with our team.”
Fan Take:
This blend of deep pitching talent and postseason experience makes the a compelling team to watch, promising intense and high-quality baseball heading into October. For fans, it’s exciting to see how such a versatile and resilient rotation can adapt and potentially redefine championship-caliber pitching in today’s game.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
