Who Will Be the Dodgers Game 1 Starter in the Playoffs?

Earlier this week after Monday’s 4-1 road victory against the Cincinnati Reds, the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a playoff berth for the fourteenth consecutive season, an all-time record that ties them with the Atlanta Braves who accomplished it from 1991 to 2005.

A large part of the Dodgers’s success this season has been how good their starting rotation has been. The team has an enormous amount of pitching depth which means they are constantly sending elite starting pitchers to the bump day-in-and-out.

When I said that the Dodgers have an enormous amount of starting pitching depth, I really did mean a ton of depth.

Their active starting rotation currently consists of Tyler Glasnow, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but they also have Justin Wrobleski down in the bullpen who put up an excellent first-half in the starting rotation.

You’d think that’s a pretty good rotation by itself and it certainly is, but they have plenty more quality arms remain either in the minors or on the injured list. These names include: Kris Bubic, Landon Knack, Eric Lauer, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Shehaan, Gavin Stone and of course, Shohei Ohtani.

That right there is enough talent to construct two top-10 starting rotations in the majors, which is incredible. The Dodgers’ plethora of depth is great, but it brings us to an interesting discussion.

The Dodgers coaching staff will have a large selection of elite arms to choose from to open up Postseason action, but who is the most logical and realistic starting pitcher for Game 1?

All stats updated prior to games on Thursday, September 17

Blake Snell, LHP

Snell has pitched really well since returning to the starting rotation in early August. Injuries have kept him out most of the season, as his last start prior to his activation in August came back on May 9 — his season was delayed due to left shoulder fatigue. He left his start on Wednesday after just 19 pitches thanks to a groin injury, so his status is currently up in the air.

Snell has made eight total starts this season, six of those coming after he got activated off the injured list again in August. His injuries don’t seem to be lingering as he’s proven to still be one of the best pitchers in the majors.

Across 38.2 innings pitched, Snell owns a 1.86 ERA and 1.09 WHIP while his underlying metrics prove that he’s still the elite pitcher we’ve been used to. His expected numbers look great, supported by an excellent 2.16 xERA and 2.94 xFIP proving that he is more than ready for playoff action.

Snell, a veteran of 11 seasons, has plenty of postseason innings under his belt and has proved at times to be really good when it matters the most. 

When I say at times, it is because last season across 13 postseason innings, he struggled with a 6.92 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. On the other hand, he’s accumulated 82.2 total playoff innings in his career, pitching to a respectable 3.27 ERA and 1.15 WHIP between the three teams he’s suited up for.

Keep in mind that Dave Roberts elected to start Snell in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card last year against the Cincinnati Reds, tossing seven quality innings allowing just two runs while striking out seven. Maybe they will go the same direction this year.

Tarik Skubal, LHP

This year’s mid-summer trade deadline was headlined by the fact that Detroit Tigers sensation Tarik Skubal would probably be on the move when it was all said and done. Well, it happened and Skubal found himself as the blockbuster of the deadline, being traded to the Dodgers.

Being named the American League Cy Young in back-to-back seasons with the Tigers in both 2024 and 2025, the Dodgers got one of the best starting pitchers in the majors.

The Dodgers likely would’ve been completely fine without him, but when a team has trade assets like the Dodgers do, it was a no-brainer for them to get a deal done.

Skubal was a solid pitcher from 2020 to 2023, but the last three seasons for him, including this year, have been absolutely phenomenal. Presently in 2026, splitting time between the Tigers and Dodgers, Skubal has logged 146.2 innings spanning 24 starts, while pitching to a 2.70 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.

If the Dodgers decide they want their ace to start Game 1, it’s going to be Skubal. He’s proved way more than he needs to show that he can be a reliable option in the Postseason. On top of his regular season success, Skubal has looked almost better in October.

He totaled 39.2 innings between the 2024 and 2025 postseasons with the Tigers and looked utterly dominant, hence his 2.04 ERA and 0.73 WHIP. Skubal’s 2025 epic performance alone is incredible.

Last year in his American League Wild Card start against the Cleveland Guardians, Skubal tossed 7.2 innings, only allowing one earned run off of three hits, along with a whopping 14 strikeouts. 

Subsequently in the Tigers American League Divisional Series against the Seattle Mariners, he made two starts, totaling 13 innings where he allowed only three earned runs, seven total hits, while striking out 22 and issuing just one walk — ace quality numbers for sure.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP

Finally, we have Yamamoto, who might not be getting enough praise that he deserves. He’s in the middle of his third season with the Dodgers and has quietly asserted himself as one of the better starting pitchers in baseball.

The now two-time All-Star finished third in National League Cy Young voting in 2025, and has been incredible thus far in his young career. He’s posted a career ERA of 2.60 so far to go along with a 0.87 WHIP.

This year has been Yamamoto’s best season, and he’s been building off of his 2025 success. Over 27 starts totalling a season-high 179 innings pitched, he’s posted a 2.51 ERA and career-best 0.87 WHIP.

Yamamoto is no stranger to pitching when the lights are the brightest, as he played a massive role contributing to the Dodgers’ World Series title in 2025 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He logged 56 innings of postseason work between 2024 and 2025, resulting in a 2.25 ERA and 0.84 WHIP.

His World Series performance last year was one to remember, tossing 17.2 innings between two starts and a relief appearance with a 1.02 ERA and 0.68 WHIP. In Game 7, he pitched out of relief and closed out the game and series when he got Alejandro Kirk to ground into a double-play.

He’s been an absolute work-horse and should play a huge role this year for the Dodgers in the Postseason, no-matter what role he is given.

The Verdict…

Now onto the final verdict in pinning one of the arms mentioned above to start Game 1 in the playoffs for the Dodgers — a decision that Dave Roberts and his coaching staff won’t take lightly.

The best way to build the Dodgers starting rotation is to alter the handedness each game, so that it’s tougher on whoever their opponent may be. That means with Snell and Skubal both being left-handers and Yamamoto being a right-hander, Yamamoto is best suited to lineup as the Game 2 starter.

As I mentioned previously, the Dodgers did elect to start Snell in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series last year, but I do think there will be a change of guard this year. 

The Dodgers didn’t go and acquire Skubal to be their Game 3 starter; they acquired him to be their bonafide ace and lead them to another World Series title. It only fits best that he takes the ball for Game 1, meaning Snell would line up best for Game 3.

Skubal, being a two-time Cy Young award winner, two-time All-Star, Triple Crown winner and two-time ERA title winner, indicates that he is more than ready and able to be the Dodgers rotation anchor and leader when October baseball rolls around in a few weeks.