Padres’ Snell ‘Cy Young dominant’ in win vs. L.A.
-
Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — The National League Cy Young race was tightening up, the regular season was down to its final three weeks, a critical start against the Los Angeles Dodgers was on tap, and Blake Snell, the ace of a San Diego Padres team far removed from contention, needed to make a statement.
With six scoreless innings against one of the most menacing offenses in the sport, Snell established himself as the clear favorite for the award.
“He seems to be on a little bit of a mission,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said after Wednesday’s 6-1, Snell-inspired victory at Dodger Stadium. “This late in the season, you’re throwing as hard as he does, and all four pitches are working like that, he’s a tough customer to deal with.”
Snell allowed two baserunners, on a single and a walk, and struck out eight batters, lowering his ERA to a major league-low 2.43 in 167 innings. Justin Steele of the Chicago Cubs, perhaps Snell’s closest competitor for the NL Cy Young Award, holds a 2.49 ERA in eight fewer innings. Logan Webb and Zac Gallen have each surpassed 190 innings, but their ERAs are 3.40 and 3.50, respectively. Spencer Strider easily leads the majors in strikeouts with 259 — 42 more than Snell, who’s tied for second — but his ERA is up to 3.73.
The award appears to be Snell’s to lose if he can continue his recent surge for the three starts that remain in what has been a thoroughly disappointing season for his star-laden Padres. Snell, a free agent at season’s end, held a 5.40 ERA when he took the ball in Washington, D.C., on May 25. Since then he has a 1.33 ERA in 21 starts, more than a full run better than any other qualified pitcher during that stretch. His past four starts have seen him give up two runs and strike out 33 batters in 25 innings.
“Cy Young dominant, right?” Melvin said. “It’s what he’s digging for. He’s done it before. He knows what that feels like.”
Snell, who won the American League Cy Young Award as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, could be the seventh pitcher to win a Cy Young in both leagues, joining a decorated list that includes Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clements, Roy Halladay and Max Scherzer. He also could be the first pitcher in 64 years — and just the third overall — to do so while leading his league in walks.
“If you’re in that talk, it means you’re doing something right,” said Snell, who also has allowed the majors’ lowest opposing batting average. “It’s definitely something you wanna be at, and it’s definitely something you wanna try to get. That’s the whole goal. That and the World Series. That’s the two things you want.”
The Padres, seven games out of a playoff spot and without key rotation cogs in Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, had been riding Snell hard throughout the summer. They recently presented him with the option of taking a couple of extra days of rest to start the Friday game against the lowly Oakland Athletics. He instead chose to remain on regular rest to face the Dodgers.
“I just enjoy the moment, enjoy the challenge,” Snell said. “It’s why you play — to play the best teams. And it’s the only way you can really tell how good you are.”
Mookie Betts led off Wednesday’s game with a single and then drew a walk in the third inning. Outside of that, Snell retired all 18 of the hitters he faced with relative ease, helping the Padres win their first regular-season series against the Dodgers in 13 attempts (San Diego also won last year’s NL Division Series). His fastball averaged 96 mph, half a tick higher than his season average, his curveball generated six swings and misses, and his slider and changeup were also working.
It was merely a continuation of Snell’s recent prowess, a run that seems to get more impressive with each passing start.
Asked whether he’s on a mission, Snell smiled.
“Some would say, yeah.”
The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs begin on April 19. The Winnipeg Jets are the NHL’s top overall seed, having finished the regular season with the most points in the standings, and the Washington Capitals earned the No. 1 seed in the East.
This page will be your home throughout the postseason, including schedules, scores, highlights and other preview content.
Read on for the full playoff coverage from every first-round series all the way through the Stanley Cup Final.
First round
Atlantic Division
Regular-season records:
Maple Leafs: 51-26-4, 106 points
Senators: 44-30-7, 95 points
Leading scorers:
Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner (27 goals, 73 assists)
Senators: Tim Stutzle (23 goals, 53 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Regular-season records:
Lightning: 47-26-8, 102 points
Panthers: 47-31-4, 98 points
Leading scorers:
Lightning: Nikita Kucherov (37 goals, 84 assists)
Panthers: Sam Reinhart (39 goals, 42 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Metropolitan Division
Regular-season records:
Capitals: 51-21-9, 111 points
Canadiens: 40-31-11, 91 points
Leading scorers:
Capitals: Dylan Strome (29 goals, 52 assists)
Canadiens: Nick Suzuki (29 goals, 58 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Regular-season records:
Hurricanes: 47-29-5, 99 points
Devils: 42-32-7, 91 points
Leading scorers:
Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho (29 goals, 45 assists)
Devils: Jesper Bratt (21 goals, 67 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Central Division
Regular-season records:
Jets: 56-22-4, 116 points
Blues: 44-30-8, 96 points
Leading scorers:
Jets: Kyle Connor (41 goals, 55 assists)
Blues: Robert Thomas (21 goals, 60 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Regular-season records:
Stars: 50-25-6, 106 points
Avalanche: 49-29-4, 102 points
Leading scorers:
Stars: Matt Duchene (30 goals, 51 assists)
Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon (32 goals, 84 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Pacific Division
Regular-season records:
Golden Knights: 49-22-10, 108 points
Wild: 45-30-7, 97 points
Leading scorers:
Golden Knights: Jack Eichel (27 goals, 66 assists)
Wild: Matt Boldy (27 goals, 46 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Regular-season records:
Kings: 48-24-9, 105 points
Oilers: 47-29-5, 99 points
Leading scorers:
Kings: Adrian Kempe (35 goals, 38 assists)
Oilers: Leon Draisaitl (52 goals, 54 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway