The best rotation? How will the Dodgers’ aces dominate October?

ByDavid Mitchell
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Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Ohtani, what does each one do best and what is the combination of pitches that makes them dominant?

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation has been the most dominant force of this year’s MLB playoffs, with Los Angeles’ four aces combining for a microscopic 1.40 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 10 postseason starts.

With virtually every performance by Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani comes a new wave of statistics reflecting the uniqueness of their achievements, circulating across social media.

As Los Angeles’ four starters prepare to face the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, we’re here to give you the lowdown on their appearances in the Fall Classic with a guide to what each does best and the pitching combination that makes this quartet so dominant.

Blake Snell: Same guy from Game 1

What you have achieved this October: 0.86 ERA, 12.0 strikeouts/9 runs in 21 innings pitched

What makes it so good: Snell’s excellence is easy to understand: He’s been a top-tier starter for nearly a decade, signed a $182 million contract last year, and is a left-hander who throws in the upper 90s. He already has two Cy Young awards and a 3.15 ERA in his 10-year career in the Major Leagues. But there has been a subtle shift in his approach during his first year with the Dodgers that has fueled their playoff dominance.

How he uses his pitches: Snell had been a powerful fastball and breaking pitcher for almost his entire career, but this season, his changeup became his second most used pitch and his clear best run value (that is, things went well for him this year, much more so than with his other pitches). Run value can be a little tricky: What if your dominant fastball puts hitters on guard, but the changeup gets the strikeout and all the statistical credit for the strikeout? Snell also seems to believe in what the statistics show.

His changeup usage was 23.6 percent in the regular season and 32.4 percent in the playoffs. His miss rate in the regular season was 43.5 percent and 65.5 percent in the playoffs. He has been 60 percent or better in his three playoff starts. The pitch movement and velocity are nearly identical to last year’s version, but the results, specifically zone contact rate and launch angle allowed, have improved dramatically.

Snell pitched just 2 percent of the time against left-handed hitters in the regular season, but that has improved in the playoffs, rising with each start to 7 percent against the Brewers.

Those additional changes basically come at the expense of his use of the fastball. Throwing fewer fastballs is common in the high-stakes environment of the playoffs, but Snell is thriving by relying more on his changeup than his slider and curveball in those key situations this year.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto: The six-pitch magician

What you have achieved this October: 1.83 ERA, 8.2 strikeouts/9 runs in 19.2 innings

What makes it so good: Yamamoto came into the league last year with a lot of expectations and largely lived up to them, but he missed nearly three months with a shoulder injury after being hit in his first major league appearance.

This year, he took a big step forward and appears to be worth more than his $325 million contract, pitching 173.2 innings with a 2.49 ERA and brilliant peripheral pitching that totaled 5.0 WAR in the regular season. If you look at run values, his six pitches were better in 2025 than in 2024, in addition to throwing almost twice as many innings. What changed?

The speed and movement of his pitches are basically the same, and the use of those pitches was practically the same, except for the 5 percent change in the use of his curveball to his cutter, since the movement of the latter improved by a few centimeters.

How he uses his pitches: Notice the subtle changes in his two best pitches: his four-seam fastball and his splitter. Here are the locations of his fastball against right-handed hitters in the 2024 regular season (left) and 2025 (right).

It’s subtle, but that singular red dot in the center has been moved to the edge of the zone, and there’s a little more action at the top of the strike zone, which is where most misses occur. His runs per fastball nearly doubled and his total runs saved went from +5 to +17 (a top-10 figure in baseball), while his xwOBA (expected hitter production) went from .360 to .299 and his miss rate increased 2 percent.

Although the difference in placements isn’t as obvious, Yamamoto’s splitter execution also improved. His average allowed launch angle went from +1 to -8, and barrel rate dropped from 17 percent to 9 percent, contributing to a 24-point drop in xwOBA and an increase in miss rate with that pitch. His run value with that pitch is +9, the third best in baseball.

When Yamamoto is getting the job done, it’s thanks to those two pitches, which are the ones he uses the most against lefties and righties. And yes, they also have a good tunnel effect.

Tyler Glasnow: The powerful 2.03 meter thrower

What you have achieved this October: 0.68 ERA, 12.2 strikeouts/9 runs in 13.1 innings pitched

What makes it so good: Glasnow’s throwing style is due to his immense physical gifts and, throughout his career, and the lack of speed with which he can understand the geometry problems he causes.

At 6-foot-3, he is a standout athlete who can generate the greatest extension (the distance he throws off the plate) in baseball, as well as throw from one of the highest arm positions in the league. Glasnow’s long arms help him generate speed with ease, but make it difficult to repeat his pitches, so his accuracy within the strike zone can vary. Because of this, it depends more on power than feel.

How he uses his pitches: Glasnow has speed around 90 miles per hour, but can get a softer plane to the plate to miss in the strike zone thanks to his long extension, which places him lower on the mound to counteract his height and arm position.

He has a natural ability to slice the ball, so his fastball has near-perfect break while staying in the strike zone. His slider has a typical movement, but comes in 3 mph harder than the average slider. Its bend is also harder than the average bender, with an extra 6 inches of drop.

He depends on the curveball against lefties because he doesn’t throw a changeup, and the slider is the one that breaks par excellence against righties.

Glasnow’s use of these three main pitches puts hitters in conflict. He takes away their decision-making time by pitching hard, and while he can’t get much horizontal movement, he can channel pitches so they look the same when the hitter is trying to decide. I could show you a diagram of how I do it, but it’s easier to see it on video. Here is a typical plan of attack against a right-handed hitter:

Glasnow’s game is one of extremes, but when he is healthy and executes well, he is almost unhittable.

Shohei Ohtani: The feeling of both ways

What you have achieved this October: 2.25 ERA, 14.3 strikeouts/9 runs in 12 innings pitched

What makes it so good?: You mean being, in addition to being a three-time MVP (who’s about to win his fourth award), the most dominant force on both sides of the field that baseball has ever seen, fresh off one of the most incredible performances in postseason history?

Well, the funny thing about Ohtani is that his impressive numbers at the plate and the praise he’s received on both sides of the field make it easy to forget how good he is simply as a pitcher. In a career spanning 100 regular-season starts, Ohtani has posted a 2.87 ERA and struck out 670 batters in 528.2 innings.

How he uses his pitches: You’ll remember Ohtani was an excellent pitcher in 2023 with the Angels, and now he somehow seems better. As? Well, it’s pretty simple:

His velocity has also increased a few tenths on most of these pitches in the postseason, as expected.

Before the ‘speed isn’t everything’ supporters get upset, Ohtani’s zone percentage and strike rate are better in 2025 than they were in 2023, and the shape of his pitches hasn’t changed much. He gave up about an inch of movement on some of those slow pitches, a nice change considering what the industry understands about pitching development.

When scouts in any sport talk about athletics, they usually refer to several aspects that exceptional athleticism can influence. In the case of Ohtani, it is quite obvious: he is one of the best hitters and, at 31 years old, after multiple elbow surgeries, he can improve his speed and his ability to throw strikes, at the same time that he was already one of the best pitchers in baseball.

David Mitchell
David Mitchell

As a passionate sports journalist with over a decade of experience, I strive to uncover the heart and soul behind every game. Supported by a dedicated team of fellow enthusiasts and storytellers, I am committed to delivering insightful and engaging content that connects fans worldwide. Together, we celebrate the victories, challenges, and unifying spirit of sports through every article we craft.