As the Los Angeles continue to heat up for the World Series, their most valuable asset this postseason, starting pitching, gets some well-deserved time off.
The ‘ starting pitcher posted a 0.63 ERA in 28.2 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. This allowed them to get some time off before the World Series after winning all four games.
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When manager Dave Roberts was asked if he was looking forward to pitchers getting so much rest heading into the Fall Classic, Roberts said he knew it could sometimes backfire on hitters, but overall it was a positive.
“Yes, I think that’s true,” Roberts said. “But I can tell you that we have this Trajekt machine in a cage and the players are away from a lot of at-bats to get used to different pitchers and work on their timing. It’s not live, but it’s a pretty good simulation on top of a simulation game where they’re playing against each other. But it’s good to have the pitchers coming into the World Series feeling fresh and active.”
The machine in question can play a video of a requested pitcher’s windup and not only throw the exact pitch they would throw, but also with the exact arm angle. When it comes to the ‘ human pitchers, more rest (in most cases) equates to more production during the postseason.
In Blake Snell’s first two games, Game 1 of the Wild Card Round and Game 2 of the NLDS, he pitched 13 innings with 18 strikeouts, five walks, and two earned runs. Both took a five-day rest.
His performance in Game 1 of the National League CS, in which he allowed just one hit in eight innings and struck out 10, was performed during a six-day rest period.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto posted a 1.83 ERA in his three postseason starts, with 18 strikeouts, 4 earned runs, and 4 walks allowed. His worst start (three runs in four innings pitched in Game 3 of the National League) was on six days’ rest, but his remaining two starts (one of which was a 111-pitch complete game) were on five days’ rest.
Tyler Glasnow started one game during a four-day rest period and one game during a six-day rest period, striking out eight batters on both occasions. His first postseason start came out of the bullpen and he hadn’t pitched in six days.
Finally, superstar Shohei Ohtani has been working on a minimum of six days of rest this season since hitting his first two-inning record in late June. His two absences from the mound in the postseason resulted in 10 and 12 days of rest, respectively.
Ohtani’s first appearance as a pitcher was in Game 1 of the NLDS, where he pitched six innings, allowing three hits, three earned runs, nine strikeouts, and just one walk. His most recent pitching was a superhuman performance that clinched the National League championship. Ohtani allowed no runs over six innings, struck out 10, and when he was at bat, he had three hits in three at bats and three home runs.
The ‘ pitching staff has clearly improved with the extra rest, and the rotation will benefit from the extra rest after beating the Brewers in just four games.
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Photo credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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