Snell’s October dominance reaches Koufax level

Sixty years ago, the only pitcher with a statue at Dodger Stadium delivered the most dominant postseason performance in franchise history.

- BILL SHAIKIN COLUMNIST

WITH A dominant October to date, Blake Snell draws comparisons to Dodgers great Sandy Koufax's run in the 1965 postseason.

(ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times)

Sandy Koufax, meet Blake Snell.

With apologies to Orel Hershiser and his classic run in 1988, the three postseason starts put up by Koufax in 1965 practically mirror the three postseason starts put up by Snell so far in 2025.

Koufax: 24 innings, 13 hits, two runs, five walks, 29 strikeouts.

Snell: 21 innings, six hits, two runs, five walks, 28 strikeouts.

Koufax won the Dodgers a World Series, at a time the World Series was the entire postseason. Hershiser won the Dodgers a World Series at a time the postseason was two rounds.

For this year’s Dodgers, winning the World Series would require four postseason rounds, which could allow Snell to deliver the most sustained streak of October dominance in the history of a franchise built upon a foundation of pitching.

Snell shut out the Milwaukee Brewers for eight innings on Monday, the undisputed star as the Dodgers opened the National League Championship Series with a 2-1 victory. If the Dodgers win the World Series, Snell figures to have two or three more starts.

If you are a free agent who wants to play in the postseason and measure yourself against the best, as Snell did, you sign with the team that has made the playoffs 13 years running.