Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
The Los Angeles Dodgers heavily leaned on their starting rotation throughout the 2025 playoffs, which at various points saw the group provide historic results on an individual basis and collectively.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow each made at least one relief appearance in addition to their traditional roles as starters. For Glasnow, his 2025 postseason debut came out of the bullpen during the National League Division Series.
Tyler Glasnow’s playoff role
As the Dodgers spend the bye week mulling over their NLDS rotation order, manager Dave Roberts suggested a more straightforward role for Glasnow compared to last October.
“He’s one of four (starting pitchers),” Roberts began. “I think it’s a little different with the layout of the games in the DS, not playing in the Wild Card also. Could he factor in one of the first three games? Possibly.
“I would say most likely Game 4. I don’t see him out of the bullpen early. We’re going to talk through that in the next couple days here.”
As Roberts noted, the Dodgers had the added benefit of the 2025 NLDS schedule including the quirk of an off day between Games 1 and 2 at Citizens Bank Park. It afforded Glasnow an opportunity to pitch in Game 1, and then start five days later in Game 4.
Glasnow threw 34 pitches over 1.2 scoreless innings in his relief appearance and followed it with six shutout innings despite battling cramping issues in what wound up being a series-clinching win for the Dodgers in Game 4.
The Dodgers’ 2026 NLDS schedule is much more traditional, with the only off days coming for travel after Game 2 and a potential Game 4. Thus, if the right-hander was to replicate last year’s usage, it would entail starting a possible Game 4 on just three days of rest.
The Dodgers of course aren’t going to rely on such a strategy at that juncture in the playoffs. However, that’s not to rule out Glasnow potentially pitching out of the bullpen at some point if the Dodgers advance in the postseason.
Depending on situations, it becomes common practice for a starter to wait on throwing a bullpen session in the event they need to pitch in relief during a game — especially if it’s an elimination scenario.
After all, half of Glasnow’s six appearances during the 2025 postseason were as a reliever.
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