Tarik Skubal mastered a 100-degree afternoon at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, striking out seven batters over six innings to lead the Dodgers to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. The two-time Cy Young Award winner allowed just one run on a sixth-inning home run in his first postseason start as a Dodger.
Conquering the Hottest Postseason Stage in Years
The thermometer said 100, making it the hottest Major League Baseball postseason game since Game 1 of the 2017 World Series. Skubal opened his afternoon with a 98.4-mph fastball, before touching 101.1 mph in the second inning. Growing up near the Mojave Desert in Kingman, Arizona, helped prepare the towering left-hander for the stifling conditions. Skubal recalled playing a Little League game in 127-degree heat in Lake Havasu during his youth, though local temperature logs point to a comparatively cooler 124-degree afternoon on June 20, 2008. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted that it was likely the hottest game Skubal had ever pitched.
Retiring 15 Straight After a Shaky Start
Atlanta designated hitter Drake Baldwin singled on the game’s very first pitch, but Skubal immediately settled into a dominant rhythm. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound hurler retired the next 15 Braves hitters in order. October pressure pushed Skubal’s fastball velocity a full mile per hour above his regular-season average, amplifying the effectiveness of his changeup, which generated eight whiffs on 15 swings.
With his pitch count approaching 90 and more than 50,000 sunbaked fans standing, Skubal faced Atlanta slugger Matt Olson. Pitching coach Mark Prior visited the mound, and reliever Alex Vesia began throwing in the bullpen before Skubal induced a fly ball to left field from Olson on a 99.7-mph fastball. Atlanta starter Dylan Dodd held his own across three scoreless innings in his first MLB start since 2023, but Teoscar Hernández broke the scoreless tie in the fourth with a two-run home run off reliever Victor Mederos.
