Blake Snell Unleashes ‘Snellzilla’ Fury: Dodgers’ Dominating Victory Shocks Baseball World

August finally arrived, and with it, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ much-anticipated starting rotation is beginning to shine—each outing revealing the prowess of five, maybe even six pitchers. Remember the trials from last season’s postseason? When only two true starters shouldered the load, backed by a relentless bullpen that somehow stitched enough innings to clinch a World Series? Well, this year, the Dodgers weren’t about to repeat that drama. They shored up their pitching arsenal by adding none other than the two-time Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, to a rotation already stacked with potential aces and a slew of talent either bouncing back from injuries or climbing up from the minors.

Snell’s journey hasn’t been smooth—shoulder inflammation sidelined him in early April, and it took him a painstaking four months to recover fully. But let me tell ya, watching him dominate the Blue Jays Saturday night at Dodger Stadium was a clear sign the wait was worth every second. In five scoreless innings, Snell racked up 10 strikeouts, living up to the “Snellzilla” nickname he’s carried since childhood. In just two starts since returning, 18 strikeouts in 10 innings? That’s some serious firepower, and Snell isn’t done yet—he’s still dialing it in, still hungry for more.

Backing him up are the Dodgers’ lethal bats. Max Muncy slammed a two-run opposite-field homer in the fourth, setting the stage for Shohei Ohtani’s thunderous 40th homer of the season—a mammoth 417-footer straight to dead center. This marks Ohtani’s fourth season in five years crossing the 40-home-run threshold. And just when you thought the offense might rest on its laurels, a six-run rally in the next inning obliterated any doubts, powered by clutch hits from Dalton Rushing, Mookie Betts, and Andy Pages.

Now, the Dodgers sit poised—68 wins and 49 losses—their starting rotation healthy and primed. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow bring fresh arms akin to spring training freshness, while veterans like Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw, each methodical in their injury recoveries, are pitching lights out. Don’t overlook Yoshinobu Yamamoto either—the one starter whose health’s been rock-solid all season, posting an impressive 2.51 ERA over 22 starts with eight shutouts under his belt.

Manager Dave Roberts summed it up best, “This is how we hoped it would play out…every night, you see the probable starters ready to prevent runs, and the lineup eager to score.” With a sixth starter in the wings filling in post-trade deadline slots, the Dodgers have built a starting rotation that’s not just deep but deadly. Sure, the bullpen’s had its bumps with injuries and inconsistencies, but reinforcements are on their way. If they regain their form, pitching could well emerge as the Dodgers’ secret weapon entering the postseason.

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It took until August, but the sparkling starting rotation the Dodgers envisioned in spring training is coming into focus an outing at a time, by five — even six — different pitchers.

Vowing not to revisit the predicament they endured last postseason, when only two true starters and a stacked bullpen somehow patched together enough innings to win a World Series, the Dodgers added two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell to a rotation that already boasted four potential aces and several other candidates coming off injuries or ascending from the minor leagues.

Snell complained of shoulder inflammation April 2 after his second start and took his sweet time recovering — four months, to be precise. But if his performance against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium is a fair indication, the wait was worthwhile.

Snell struck out 10 in five scoreless innings of a 9-1 Dodgers victory, living up to the “Snellzilla” nickname he stole from his older brother as a brash 11-year-old and still uses as his Instagram handle.

In two starts since coming off the injured list, the left-hander has 18 strikeouts in 10 innings. And he believes the best is yet to come.

“There are some things I want to do in my next start that I’m excited about,” Snell said. “I still [have] a lot of work to do. I can be better. I’m trying to find a rhythm, trying to figure it out. It was only my second start.”

He got support from the Dodgers’ offense, which was fueled by the long ball early. Max Muncy belted a two-run, opposite-field home run in the fourth inning and Shohei Ohtani absolutely crushed his 40th long ball of the season 417 feet to dead center in the fifth. It marked the fourth time in the last five seasons that Ohtani has hit at least 40 homers.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits his 40th home run of the season Saturday against the Blue Jays. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

A six-run rally an inning later put the game away. Two hit batters and two walks set the table, and Dalton Rushing and Mookie Betts each delivered two-run singles with none out. Andy Pages drove in the last two with a two-out double, his second hit of the inning.

The win was the second in a row against Toronto (68-50), which remains in first place in the American League East. The series concludes Sunday with another formidable starter — Tyler Glasnow — taking the mound for the Dodgers (68-49).

Glasnow took a similar if less pronounced path than Snell this season, going on the injured list before the end of April and not returning until July 9. He has given up only one run in four of his five starts since returning and most recently went seven strong innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It’s clear that Snell and Glasnow are healthy, their arms as fresh and live as would be expected coming out of spring training. The same is true of Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw, two future Hall of Famers whose recoveries from injuries also were methodical and unhurried. Both are pitching well.

And so is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the only starter whose health hasn’t cost him time off. He’s made 22 starts, going 10-7 with a 2.51 earned-run average and leads National League starters with eight scoreless outings.

“This is how we hoped it would play out as far as every night, you see the probable [starting pitchers] and have a chance to prevent runs,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts aid. “And you look at the lineup and see you have an opportunity to score runs. Then you go play the game.”

The Dodgers employ a sixth starter to give Ohtani and Yamamoto five to seven days off between starts. The job belonged to Dustin May until he was traded to the Red Sox at the deadline, creating an opportunity for Emmet Sheehan, who was impressive over 60 innings as a rookie in 2023, but had Tommy John surgery in May 2024.

Max Muncy, right, celebrates with Freddie Freeman after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Sheehan has pitched well, posting a 3.00 ERA over 30 innings, giving the Dodgers a luxury they haven’t enjoyed in recent memory: trotting out a starting pitcher every night that can prevent runs through the middle innings.

“I’m pretty pleased,” Roberts said. “You look at the starters and the next guy is going to try to outdo the next guy and that’s how you build momentum.”

That leaves the bullpen to finish the job, and injuries and inconsistency continue to riddle the relief corps. Roberts said help is on the way, with several key relievers on the mend. If they return as effective as the starters, pitching could be a Dodgers strength entering the postseason.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.