NL DIVISION SERIES: BRAVES VS DODGERS

October 3, 2026

Blake Snell

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. Two questions. As we go through October, how would you like to be addressed, Blake, Snellzilla, Mr. Snellzilla? What do you prefer?

BLAKE SNELL: I don't care (laughter).

Q. You said last Sunday in San Francisco that this week was going to be big for you to get ready for Game 2 obviously now. How was this week for you to get ready?

BLAKE SNELL: Really good. Really good. I threw live, felt way better, can control the ball, command it. Then throughout this week, just pitches in general, release points have just gotten a lot better.

Definitely excited where I'm at.

Q. We saw what the rotation was able to do with the Dodgers last year in October. When you look at this group this year with Tarik getting the start today, you tomorrow, of course Yoshinobu, Tyler all being in this conversation, what is your take on this group and how either powerful or good this rotation is right now?

BLAKE SNELL: I think we're all kind of in the prime of our careers, and we're all evolving and continuing to get better and grow.

I think the coolest part about the whole group that no one gets to see is really how much we talk about pitching. It's very unique. It doesn't happen everywhere. For all of us to kind of be pushing for each other to be great, it's a really cool starting staff to be a part of.

Q. Tarik had said that even before arriving here, that he watched every single one of your starts going into his start when he faced a similar opponent. What are you looking for when you're watching Tarik today against the Braves?

BLAKE SNELL: I think how he handles the heat. That's a surreal thing. Like when to empty the tank, how he manages through that.

Then the biggest thing with him is just his presence of commanding the ball. If he's throwing it and he's confident, it's going to be a tough day for any offense.

Q. You had said in San Francisco you're kind of looking to be even better this October than you were last October. What does that look like for you? Obviously, especially the first couple rounds, you were dominant last year.

BLAKE SNELL: Yeah, the first couple rounds, but I didn't finish the way I wanted to. For me, it's mindset, it's consistency, it's being aggressive when I need to. It's being patient when I need to, being smart, understanding the hitters and what they're trying to do, knowing when to attack and when to kind of be passive in the sense of making them chase.

Ultimately in the postseason, a lot of it is going to be just being smart, knowing when to attack their strengths versus attack their weaknesses.

Q. You just mentioned the heat. How will you attack it tomorrow?

BLAKE SNELL: I'll be fine, 5:00 p.m. Yeah, I'll be good. It will be hot, but not like 1:00 p.m. when the sun's straight up. It will be set, and I'll be fine.

Q. You mentioned Tarik today, if he's got confidence, conviction behind his pitches. Does he ever need positive reinforcement from you to remind him how good he is?

BLAKE SNELL: Not that I've been aware of. He's a very confident guy, a ton of belief. I think he'll be fine today.

Especially watching him in the postseason last year, he was really dominant. I know the postseason brings the best out of everyone, that's why everyone loves October so much.

So I'm very excited to be on his team and see how he acts and really how the start -- how it goes.

Q. Blake, when you talk about those later rounds, just how much could getting the surgery earlier, not having to worry about the elbow, help you continue that consistency through the whole postseason?

BLAKE SNELL: Yeah, being healthy is exciting. It's the best I've felt in a long time. I'm really excited about that, but ultimately, like even last year when I was pitching, when you're in the game, you don't notice it. It's only after.

I'm excited just to kind of feel the feelings again of what postseason baseball feels like and how every game matters so much. I can't wait for that.

Q. I remember when you signed here, you talked about one of the big reasons was you wanted to pitch in October. What is it about October that brings out the best in you?

BLAKE SNELL: Like if you want to be a Hall of Famer, if you want to be a legend in the game, I think it all happens in October. The regular season sets you up in a lot of ways, but the postseason definitely is what could cement you, stamp you as a Hall of Famer is how you pitch in those games. What you did winning championships, I think it's a really important feature in a Hall of Fame career.

Q. It seems like you and Tarik both have built a pretty good relationship in a short time.

BLAKE SNELL: We have.

Q. Why have you two gravitated towards each other? What's that relationship been like?

BLAKE SNELL: I don't know, we're really similar in a lot of ways. I think he's super funny. He's very confident. He's an extremely good teammate, like extremely good teammate.

I didn't expect us to be like great friends. It was like what's up, how you doing, and then do our things. But I think the level of respect we have for each other, both being left-handed starters, both accomplishing a lot in the game so far, I think that's kind of pushed us to -- the curiosity of how did you get so good? What did you do? Those questions from both sides, we started asking each other.

Then from there, the friendship kind of grew, and then we just started making jokes when we saw media posting stuff about us. Then we just kind of ran off with it. We were always kind of making fun, like joking around. I posted something, and he posted something, and it kind of became a whole little thing, all out of just jokes and being funny.

Q. You talked about sort of the conversations you guys have nerding out about pitching. How valuable is that to be able to pick the brains of fellow pitchers like that? What have you learned from Tarik?

BLAKE SNELL: I've been fortunate, Kershaw last year, as well as Yama, but with Skubal I think the thing that makes him so great is his confidence. He's extremely confident in what he's doing, and it's almost like a carefree, fearless type of mentality.

Watching him pitch and go out there, it's very cool, and it's unique because it's very unique to who he is. That's why he's been so great.