Which teams are the most QB-needy for 2026? Here are 11 teams that are in the market
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Eli Lederman
Official visits are set, commitments dates are locked in, and the busiest stretch of college football’s annual recruiting calendar is upon us. If the trends of last year’s cycle — when 43% of ESPN’s top 300 prospects sealed their final commitments between June 1 and Aug. 31 — are any indication, the bulk of the 2026 recruiting class will sort itself over the next three months.
However, while the latest cycle is just about to take off in earnest, the top end of the 2026 quarterback class is largely settled already, at least for the time being. Following Jared Curtis‘ May 5 pledge to Georgia, all four of the nation’s five-star QBs and 14 of the 18 passers ranked inside the 2026 ESPN 300 are committed, leaving four blue-chip prospects still on the board:
Despite that scarcity, there are a handful of top programs across the country still working hard to land a 2026 quarterback. Which teams remain the most QB-needy on the recruiting trail as of late spring? We broke them down by tier, from the schools that have to land an elite passer in 2026 to others expected to be active in the QB market, and a few more who could join in this summer.
Jump to a section:
Need to land top QB | Teams to remain in QB market
Don’t need, but might grab | Lingering questions
Tier 1: Need to land a top quarterback in the 2026 class
In his sixth full-recruiting cycle with the Seminoles, coach Mike Norvell is still waiting for his quarterback pipeline to take off. The January decommitment of four-star recruit Brady Smigiel (No. 45 in the 2026 ESPN 300) marked the latest blow to the program’s future plans at the position. Four months later, Florida State’s efforts to land an elite 2026 passer hinge on a pair of priority targets: four-star Landon Duckworth and Oklahoma commit Jaden O’Neal.
Duckworth, a dynamic playmaker who accounted for 51 total touchdowns as a junior last fall, is a precise fit for the mold of a dual-threat quarterback that first-year Seminoles playcaller Gus Malzahn has traditionally relied on over the years. While Ole Miss has established itself as the clear leader in Duckworth’s process this spring, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound prospect from Jackson, Alabama, knows Norvell’s history of producing high-scoring offenses and was previously recruited by Malzahn at UCF. Florida State will get its next chance to woo Duckworth when he arrives for an official visit on June 13.
O’Neal has been committed to Oklahoma since June 24, 2024. But following a coordinator change amid the Sooners’ pursuit of a second quarterback in the 2026 class, ESPN’s seventh-ranked pocket passer enters late spring as a prime flip candidate. O’Neal (No. 113 overall) took unofficial trips to Florida State and Auburn this spring while entertaining interest from Georgia, and he’ll see the Seminoles again for a multiday official visit starting on June 15.
Florida State has gotten just 10 combined starts from the four high school quarterbacks it signed across five classes from 2020-24, and only one of those passers — redshirt sophomore Brock Glenn — still remains on the program’s roster. Can Norvell & Co. get it right in 2026 with Duckworth or O’Neal?
The Tigers didn’t sign a quarterback in the 2025 cycle after Bryce Underwood’s stunning flip to Michigan last November. Even with the offseason addition of Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren, the program’s future depth behind Garrett Nussmeier in 2025 is thin, and coach Brian Kelly and his staff have worked hard over the past sixth months in pursuit of a quarterback for the Tigers’ 2026 class.
LSU circled back with five-star prospects Dia Bell (Texas commit) and Keisean Henderson (Houston) and four-star Arizona State pledge Jake Fette (No. 158 overall) earlier this year to no avail. The Tigers were also heavily involved in the recruitment of four-star recruit Jonas Williams (No. 156 overall) prior to his February flip from Oregon to USC. Navigating a narrowing quarterback market, the Tigers have now turned their attention to four-star recruit Bowe Bentley (No. 262 overall), one of the cycle’s top risers this spring after he led Celina (Texas) High School to a 16-0 finish and a 4A state title as a first-year starter last fall.
Bentley landed more than a dozen Power 4 offers before trimming his list of finalists to Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma in late March. Following Jared Curtis’ May 5 pledge to Georgia, Bentley’s recruitment is down to the Tigers and Sooners, and the stage is now set for a critical stretch that will see Bentley travel to LSU (May 30) and Oklahoma (June 6) on back-to-back weekends as he reaches the closing stages in his recruitment. Bentley is LSU’s best chance at grabbing a top QB.
Like LSU, Ole Miss went without a quarterback signee in the 2025 class, but it was not for lack of trying, most notably through the program’s late-fall efforts to flip in-state four-star Deuce Knight from his Auburn pledge. After missing out on one coveted dual-threat passer a year ago, could coach Lane Kiffin manage to land another in the 2026 cycle?
The Rebels have certainly laid the groundwork this spring, centering Duckworth — ESPN’s second-ranked uncommitted quarterback prospect — as the potential cornerstone of Ole Miss’ 2026 class during a pair of unofficial visits with the program this spring.
Kiffin and Rebels offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. have sold Duckworth heavily on his fit in the program’s offensive scheme and their development of former quarterback Jaxson Dart, another mobile passer who emerged as a first-round NFL draft pick after three seasons at Ole Miss. As Duckworth prepares for a slate of spring official visits to Auburn, South Carolina, Florida State and Ole Miss, Kiffin and the Rebels hold a definitive lead in his recruitment.
Redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons will take over starting duties with three years of remaining eligibility this fall. Ole Miss’ current quarterback depth includes a pair of talented underclassmen, too, between former ESPN 300 signee AJ Maddox and Oklahoma State transfer Maealiuaki Smith. But there’s a reason why Kiffin and his staff are so invested in Duckworth, who would mark the program’s highest-ranked quarterback signee since Matt Corral in 2018.
Tier 2: Programs that will remain active in the QB market
Auburn
After finishing 71st nationally in scoring last fall, the Tigers renovated their quarterback room during the offseason with transfers Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) and Ashton Daniels (Stanford) and Knight, the talented freshman they pried away from Notre Dame last fall.
Knight, No. 40 in the 2025 ESPN 300, is viewed as a future starter at Auburn. But his arrival has not kept the program from pursuing quarterbacks in the 2026 class. The Tigers hosted O’Neal, the Oklahoma pledge, for a visit earlier this spring and stand among the challengers to Ole Miss in the chase for Duckworth, who will take his official to Auburn on May 30.
Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter presents an experienced stopgap in 2025, but the Buffaloes secured their heir apparent to Shedeur Sanders with the flip of five-star quarterback Julian Lewis from USC last November.
Still, Colorado has maintained a presence on the 2026 quarterback trail this spring. The Buffaloes were finalists for three-star Mississippi State pledge Brodie McWhorter, four-star Michigan State commit Kayd Coffman and three-star recruit Luke Fahey among their most recent offers. Most prominently, Colorado remains as one of seven schools in the mix for four-star pocket passer Oscar Rios (No. 193 in ESPN 300), who will close a busy run of spring officials with a trip to see coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes on June 20.
No program is garnering more attention in 2025 than the Tar Heels, and North Carolina’s quarterback recruiting is a key subplot in coach Bill Belichick’s first full cycle with the program following Zaid Lott’s flip to Syracuse in March.
Belichick, whose contract stipulates access to $13 million in revenue sharing dollars, has money to spend on his roster. The Tar Heels have already missed on a pair of big swings with top-100 quarterbacks Curtis and Smigiel, but Duckworth remains a realistic option who could still schedule an official visit with the program over the next month. North Carolina did beat out Auburn for three-star, dual-threat Travis Burgess.
Oklahoma
A once-settled Sooners quarterback situation in the 2026 class could see a few twists and turns before all is said. O’Neal, who committed last June under former offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, remains the top-ranked member of Oklahoma’s incoming class while the Sooners’ staff are now full-throttle in their pursuit of Bentley, whose recruitment could be wrapped up within the next month following his pair of official visits.
All of that fits the program’s plan to add two passers in the 2026 cycle under first-year coordinator Ben Arbuckle. But will it play out so seamlessly? A commitment from Bentley could be the ultimate nudge that prompts O’Neal to jump elsewhere. Conversely, if Bentley lands with LSU, keeping O’Neal on board will be more important than ever. Of course, there’s also the disaster scenario for Oklahoma where Bentley commits to LSU and O’Neal flips elsewhere this summer, sending OU back to the drawing board in the 2026 quarterback class with rising three-star prospect Matt Ponatoski among the passers the program has kept in touch with this spring.
South Carolina
The rise of LaNorris Sellers and the addition of a once-prized talent in Ohio State transfer Air Noland gives the Gamecocks security in the medium-term. However, South Carolina’s efforts in the 2026 quarterback class over the first half of this year suggest coach Shane Beamer knows he needs to add another passer this cycle.
The Gamecocks were among four top contenders for Curtis in January before the nation’s No. 1 overall quarterback cut his recruitment to Oregon and Georgia. The program made Smigiel another priority target and made a late push in April before his commitment to Michigan. Those misses have turned the Gamecocks’ attention back to Duckworth, who previously spent 10 months in South Carolina’s 2026 class before reopening his recruitment last June. Duckworth will return to campus for an official visit next month, where Beamer and the Gamecocks would secure a major recruiting victory if they manage to pull him back into fold amid interest from Ole Miss, Auburn and Florida State.
Tier 3: We don’t need a 2026 QB, but we still might go get one anyway
The Class of 2025 addition of five-star passer Keelon Russell, No. 2 in the 2025 ESPN 300, not only diminishes the Crimson Tide’s need for a quarterback in this cycle, but might also be working against the program’s ability to land one in 2026. Such are the lofty expectations surrounding the dynamic Russell and his future at Alabama.
The Crimson Tide do appear to be ramping up their efforts on the quarterback trail, though. After keeping in touch with Houston pledge Keisean Henderson and eventual Penn State commit Peyton Falzone (No. 236 in ESPN 300) this spring, Alabama extended offers to Ponatoski, ESPN’s No. 27 pocket passer, and three-star Iowa State pledge Jett Thomalla last week. While Kalen DeBoer & Co. might not be battling at the upper reaches of the 2026 quarterback class, there is motivation within the program to continue its pipeline at the position in this cycle.
Ohio State
Between projected 2025 starter Julian Sayin and five-star 2025 signee Tavien St. Clair, the defending national champions are already well-stocked on young quarterback talent. The commitment of coveted 2027 passer Brady Edmunds adds another layer of security to the Buckeyes future at the position.
However, the Buckeyes haven’t been entirely quiet around the current quarterback class, notably hosting top uncommitted passer Ryder Lyons (No. 50 in ESPN 300) and Bentley for visits earlier this spring. More recently, Michigan State commit Kayd Coffman spent a day on campus with the Ohio State staff last month, though the Buckeyes have not yet formally offered ESPN’s fifth-ranked dual-threat prospect. Expect Ohio State to linger as a potential flip contender for multiple prospects across the country from now to the early signing period.
Oregon
Coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks did everything they could to sway Curtis before the five-star passer returned to his place atop Georgia’s 2026 class earlier this month. Multiple years of remaining eligibility for Dante Moore and Austin Novosad, coupled with the arrival of four-star freshman Akili Smith Jr. mean Oregon could comfortably go without a quarterback signee in 2026, but the program’s movements on the trail this spring suggest that won’t be the case.
The Ducks are among the long line of programs to check in with Henderson, the five-star Houston commit this spring. More pressing, the program remains firmly in the mix for Lyons, the four-star passer who will take officials with BYU, Oregon and USC in June. Given the Ducks’ eligibility cushion at quarterbacks, Lyons’ plan to enroll in 2027 following a one-year mission trip won’t be an issue for Oregon. If the Ducks miss on Lyons, then Ponatoski — a two-sport star from Cincinnati who intends to play baseball in college — could emerge as a primary target.
Lingering questions for the 2026 quarterback class
What happens if Jaden O’Neal decommits from Oklahoma?
Plenty of drama could still unfold within the 2026 quarterback class from now to the early signing period. But as things stand, O’Neal appears to be the most likely candidate to flip.
If O’Neal eventually pulls his pledge from the Sooners, he’ll immediately emerge as one of the top available quarterbacks in the 2026 class with previously interested parties like Auburn and Florida State primed to pounce on his availability. Depending on other outcomes across the quarterback class, there could be a number of other programs — LSU, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oregon — primed to enter the race, too. As for Oklahoma, the scale of damage surrounding O’Neal’s exit would be entirely dependent on where Bentley lands and how open his recruitment might remain if the four-star recruit commits to a program other than the Sooners.
Can anyone flip Keisean Henderson?
No program has shown more faith in Henderson’s ability to play quarterback at the college level than Houston, and the five-star has continued to recruit on behalf of the Cougars this spring while remaining fully locked in with his May 2024 commitment to the program.
However, as long as the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State and Oregon are maintaining contact with Henderson, the door will be open to a potential flip. The noise around Henderson’s recruitment has been quiet this spring, but that could certainly change in the coming months, especially if QB-needy programs such as Florida State, North Carolina and LSU miss on other top targets this summer and intensify their efforts with the athletic playmaker from Spring, Texas. Henderson’s recruitment will be one to watch Houston work to hang on to the highest-ranked pledge in program history.
Who are the most intriguing uncommitted, non-ESPN 300 quarterbacks?
The collection of quarterback talent in the 2026 class extends beyond the ESPN 300, and history shows that star ratings and prospect rankings are always perfect predictors of future success. So which relatively unheralded quarterback recruits could emerge as key targets in this cycle?
Ponatoski is one prospect generating significant interest this spring after throwing for more than 4,000 yards with 56 touchdowns last fall. Aided by his two-sport ability, Ponatoski now counts Alabama and Oregon among the prominent newcomers in his recruitment and also holds significant interest from Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Texas A&M, among others.
Nathan Bernhard, ESPN’s No. 14 pocket passer, flirted heavily with Michigan before he committed to App State last month after the Wolverines landed on Smigiel as the program’s 2026 quarterback. Indiana Hoosiers, Maryland Terrapins, Michigan State and Penn State all entered the mix for Bernhard earlier this spring, and he could emerge as a prized flip candidate later in the cycle for Power 4 programs still looking to secure a quarterback pledge.
Three-star prospect Femi Babalola is another quarterback gaining attention ahead of the busy summer recruiting period. Among more than a dozen Division I offers, NC State, Boston College and Tulane rank among Babalola’s leading contenders while Arizona, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Virginia Tech have all offered ESPN’s No. 18 pocket passer this spring.
Developments around Burgess, the Auburn, North Carolina and NC State target, will have ripple effects across the 2026 quarterback class. Three-star passers Romin Seymour, Laird Finkel and Jarin Mock are another trio worth keeping an eye on this summer.
It’s win-or-go-home Thursday in the MLB wild-card round!
After losing their series openers, the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees all rebounded with Game 2 wins on Wednesday — setting up a dramatic day with three winner-take-all Game 3s. It’s only the second time in baseball history to host three winner-takes-all playoff games in one day.
Who has the edge with division series berths on the line? We’ve got you covered with pregame lineups, sights and sounds from the ballparks and postgame takeaways as each matchup ends.
Key links: Megapreview | Passan’s take | Bracket | Schedule
Jump to a matchup:
DET-CLE | SD-CHC | BOS-NYY
3 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 3 starters: Jack Flaherty vs. Slade Cecconi
One thing that will decide Game 3: Perhaps it’s a wide brush, but Detroit’s ability to get the ball in play and convert scoring opportunities into actual runs — or not — is likely to decide Thursday’s game. The Tigers have managed to get quality at-bats early in innings and generate plenty of traffic on the bags, but they’ve been completely unable to turn those scoring chances into runs. Their 15 runners left on base in Game 2 was a record for a franchise whose postseason history dates back to 1907. Over three potential elimination games going back to last year’s ALDS matchup, the Tigers are a combined 3-for-38 (.079) with runners in scoring position. That must change or Detroit will be done. — Bradford Doolittle
Lineups
Tigers
TBD
Guardians
TBD
5 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 3 starters: Yu Darvish vs. Jameson Taillon
One thing that will decide Game 3: Look, this is going to be a battle of the bullpens. Yu Darvish and Jameson Taillon are both going to be on a very quick hook, even if they’re pitching well. But the difference might be which of those starters can get 14 or 15 outs instead of 10 or 11, especially for the Padres given that Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller both pitched in Games 1 and 2 and might have limited availability.
Darvish had a reputation early in his career as someone who couldn’t handle the pressure of a big game, but he has turned that around and has a 2.56 ERA in his six postseason starts with the Padres. Taillon, meanwhile, was terrific down the stretch with the Cubs, with a 1.57 ERA in six starts after coming off the IL in August. This looks like another low-scoring game in which the team that hits a home run will have the edge. — Schoenfield
Lineups
Padres
TBD
Cubs
TBD
8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 3 starters: Connelly Early vs. Cam Schlittler
One thing that will decide Game 3: Whether Connelly Early can give the Red Sox some length. Alex Cora’s aggressive decision to pull the plug on Brayan Bello’s start after just 28 pitches in Game 2 led to him using six Red Sox relievers. Garrett Whitlock, Boston’s best reliever not named Aroldis Chapman, threw 48 pitches. Chapman didn’t enter the game but warmed up for the possibility. Left-hander Kyle Harrison, a starter during the regular season, and right-hander Greg Weissert were the only pitchers in Boston’s bullpen not used in the first two games. Early doesn’t need to last seven innings. Harrison, who hasn’t pitched since last Friday, could cover multiple innings. But a quick departure would make the night very difficult for the Red Sox’s bullpen against a potent Yankees lineup. — Jorge Castillo
Lineups
Red Sox
TBD
Yankees
TBD
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Jorge Castillo
NEW YORK — Back in the starting lineup one night after he was benched for matchup purposes, Jazz Chisholm Jr. put together a season-saving performance for the New York Yankees on Wednesday night with dynamic displays of athleticism on both sides of the ball that fueled a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series.
Chisholm made a crucial run-saving play with his glove in the seventh inning and hustled all the way from first base on Austin Wells‘ single to score the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning to help the Red Sox force a decisive Game 3 on Thursday.
It will be the fourth winner-take-all postseason game between the Yankees and Red Sox, and the first since the 2021 AL wild card, a one-game format won by Boston.
“Anything to help us win,” Chisholm said. “All that was clear before I came to the field today. After I left the field yesterday, it is win the next game. It is win or go home for us. It is all about winning.”
A mainstay in the lineup all season at second base, Chisholm was left off their starting nine in Game 1 against left-hander Garrett Crochet before entering the loss late as a defensive replacement.
Afterward, Chisholm took questions about manager Aaron Boone’s decision to bench him with his back turned to reporters. It was a poor attempt to conceal his disdain, one that Boone was asked about before Wednesday’s do-or-die Game 2.
“Wasn’t necessarily how I [would’ve] handled it, but I don’t need him to put a happy face on,” Boone said before the game. “I need him to go out and play his butt off for us tonight. That’s what I expect to happen.”
What happened was a clutch effort that kept the Yankees’ season alive.
In the seventh inning, with the score tied and runners on first and second for the Red Sox, Masataka Yoshida hit a ground ball to Chisholm’s right side off Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz that appeared headed to right field to give Boston the lead. Instead, Chisholm made a diving stop. His throw to first base was late and bounced away from first baseman Ben Rice, but Red Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson held Nate Eaton and Chisholm’s effort prevented the run from scoring.
“That was the game right there,” Cruz said. “I think that was the play of the game. There’s some stuff that goes unnoticed sometimes, but I want to make sure it’s mentioned. Jazz saved us the game. Completely.”
An inning later, after Cruz escaped the bases-loaded jam and erupted with a rousing display of emotions, Chisholm worked a seven-pitch, two-out walk against Garrett Whitlock. The plate appearance changed the game.
Wells followed by getting to another full count to give Chisholm the green light at first base. With Chisholm running on the pitch, Wells lined a changeup from Whitlock that landed just inside the right-field line. Chisholm, boosted with his running start, darted around the bases to score with a headfirst slide, just beating the throw to incite a previously anxious crowd.
“Any ball that an outfielder moves to his left or right, I have to score, in my head,” Chisholm said. “That’s all I was thinking.”
The Yankees’ first two runs required less exertion. Ben Rice, another left-handed hitter not included in the starting lineup in Game 1, crushed the first pitch he saw in his postseason debut for a two-run home run off Brayan Bello in the first inning.
The Red Sox matched the blast with a two-run single from Trevor Story in the third inning before manager Alex Cora made a surprising decision in the bottom half of the frame to pull Bello with one out after throwing just 28 pitches. To win, Boston’s bullpen would need to cover at least 20 outs. The aggressive tactic proved effective until Whitlock, the fifth reliever Cora summoned, surrendered Wells’ single on his season-high 48th and final pitch, unleashing Chisholm around the bases.
“What do you expect?” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. “He’s a game changer. But it just shows you the maturity of not taking what happened before and bringing it into today’s game. He showed up ready to play today and ended up having the plays for us throughout the night.”
With a win Thursday, the Yankees could become the first team to take a wild-card series after losing Game 1 since the best-of-three format was implemented for the 2022 season. The Toronto Blue Jays, the AL’s top seed, await in the Division Series. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday.
If the Yankees get there, they could have a video game to thank. Chisholm credited a late-night video game session after Game 1 in helping turn the page from his disappointment. Playing “MLB The Show” as the New York Aliens — a team he created that features himself, Ken Griffey Jr. and Jimmy Rollins — he drubbed an online opponent by a score of 12-1 and reported for work on Wednesday ready.
“I mercy-ruled someone,” Chisholm said. “That’s how I get my stress off.”
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers felt they addressed any concerns about the state of their team over the final three weeks of the regular season, reeling off 15 wins in 20 games. But in case there was any doubt, they displayed their full might in two wild-card matchups against the Cincinnati Reds, the last of which, an 8-4 victory Wednesday night, advanced them into the National League Division Series.
Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, half of a four-man rotation the Dodgers will ride in their pursuit of another title, combined to give up two earned runs in 13⅔ innings. Ten batters, meanwhile, accumulated 28 hits, 15 of which came courtesy of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez, the top half of what is still widely considered the sport’s deepest lineup. In the end, even a weary bullpen — a hindrance throughout the summer and a potential obstacle in the fall — received a much-needed boost.
Roki Sasaki, the prized rookie Japanese starting pitcher who became a reliever after finally recapturing his velocity last month, checked in for the top of the ninth inning and flummoxed the Reds with triple-digit fastballs and mind-bending splitters.
In the dugout, teammates howled.
Later, in the midst of a champagne-soaked celebration, many of them were still in awe.
“That guy is gross,” Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott said.
“Wow,” third baseman Max Muncy added. “All I can say is wow.”
The Dodgers, forced to play in the best-of-three wild-card series for the first time, have advanced to the division series for the 13th consecutive year, tied with the 1995-2007 New York Yankees for the longest streak since the round was introduced. They will now travel to face the Philadelphia Phillies, who beat them in two of three games at Dodger Stadium in the middle of September.
Taking the ball in Game 1 on Saturday, with game time still undetermined, will be Ohtani.
“I know that Sho will revel being in that environment and pitching in Game 1,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “I think we have a really talented rotation. I think it’s going to be a strength for us if we go forward.”
It was obvious Tuesday, when Snell varied the velocity on his changeups while allowing two baserunners through the first six innings. And it was obvious Wednesday, when Yamamoto pitched into the seventh inning without giving up an earned run.
The Reds took an early 2-0 lead when Hernandez dropped a fly ball with two outs in the first and 21-year-old rookie Sal Stewart followed with a two-run single. From there, Yamamoto retired 13 consecutive batters, five via strikeout. The Reds loaded the bases against him with no outs in the sixth while trailing by a run, but Yamamoto somehow wiggled free, getting Austin Hays to ground into a force at home and striking out Stewart and Elly De La Cruz, both on curveballs.
Twenty-two months ago, the Dodgers lavished Yamamoto with the largest contract ever awarded to a starting pitcher. He languished through most of the 2024 regular season, finally rounded into form in the playoffs and followed by putting together a Cy Young-caliber season in 2025. Over his last five regular-season starts, he gave up three runs in 34 innings. That dominance has carried over into October.
“He’s shown why he got the contract that he got,” Muncy said. “It’s really impressive to be behind him. You feed off it.”
The Dodgers offense took off for four runs immediately after Yamamoto stranded the bases loaded, stringing together four hits and cycling through 10 hitters. Just like in Game 1, it seemed as if the team would cruise to victory. And just like in Game 1, the bullpen made it far more interesting than it should have been.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sent Yamamoto back out for the seventh and watched him throw a career-high 113 pitches in hopes of putting less of a burden on his relievers. It bought him two extra outs before Roberts turned to Blake Treinen to end the inning.
But the eighth was once again a struggle. Twenty-four hours after watching the Reds score three runs off Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer in Tuesday’s eighth inning, Roberts turned to Emmet Sheehan, the young starting pitcher who has made a case as the Dodgers’ best bullpen weapon in these playoffs, and hoped for a smoother ride.
Sheehan allowed the first four batters to reach. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Tyler Stephenson then got ahead in the count 0-2 against Will Benson and threw a slider that nearly hit him.
Roberts had seen enough. With two on, one out, the count 1-2 and two runs already across, he approached the mound, shared a word with Sheehan then called on Vesia. Sheehan became the first pitcher to be pulled from a postseason game in the middle of an at-bat with two strikes since Game 5 of the 2021 NL Championship Series, when Roberts replaced an injured Joe Kelly with Evan Phillips.
“I trust him,” Roberts said of Sheehan. “It was his first real crack at kind of late leverage. He wasn’t sharp, but I believe in him.”
Vesia, a left-hander, struck out right-handed pinch hitter Miguel Andujar with a first-pitch fastball then walked Matt McLain and retired TJ Friedl with a slider low and away to end the threat. An inning later, Sasaki came out of the bullpen, befuddled the Reds’ hitters, recorded three quick outs and, depending on what happens in the ensuing weeks, might have changed the complexion of the pitching staff.
A month ago, the Dodgers were languishing. Their offense was inconsistent, their rotation was only beginning to round into form, and their bullpen was a mess.
Now, it seems, they’re bullish.
“I think we can win it all,” Roberts said when asked how far he believes his team can go. “I think we’re equipped to do that. We certainly have the pedigree. We certainly have the hunger. We’re playing great baseball. And in all honesty, I don’t care who we play. I just want to be the last team standing.”
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