Blake Snell aligns himself with Yankees legend in feat that has NYY regretting choice

For the second straight year, good news for the Los Angeles Dodgers in October means bad news for the New York Yankees. While the Yanks didn’t make it far enough this fall to face off with LA directly, the Dodgers’ brilliance is hurting them in indirect ways.

Take Blake Snell, for example, who has been the most dominant force in Major League Baseball since the playoffs began. Snell’s 0.86 ERA in three starts this postseason (21 innings) has been a painful reminder to everyone associated with the Yankees about what a terrible decision it was for New York not to acquire the left-hander on multiple occasions.

Watching Snell work during Monday’s NLCS Game 1 was a lesson in what it means to be “in the zone”. Snell was beyond locked in as he pitched eight, near-flawless innings against a Milwaukee Brewers lineup that has wreaked havoc on the National League for months.

Snell allowed just one hit, struck out 10, and faced the minimum number of batters, fueling a Dodgers victory. Had he gone an inning less, they probably would have lost given their bullpen troubles.

Snell facing the minimum number of Brewers placed the southpaw alongside a Yankees legend, which had New York fans thinking about the past.

Blake Snell aligns himself with Yankees legend Don Larsen in NLCS Game 1 masterclass

Per OptaSTATS, Snell became the first pitcher to face the minimum through eight innings of a playoff game since Yankees' Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Yankee Stadium.

It was an achievement that will only bolster the wry arguments of Dodgers fans who feel that their team is, in essence, the “modern” Yankees — the most dominant franchise in MLB that attracts the most elite talent, consistently competes for titles, and breaks records.

To be clear, LA’s eight world series titles and two in the last five seasons does not come close to approaching the Yankees’ franchise legacy. But if any organization in the modern game can be called “Yankee-like” in the traditional sense of the phrase, it’s the Dodgers, who are seven wins away from becoming the first team since the Yankees to win back-to-back World Series.

The barrage of championships still hasn’t happened for the Dodgers, but the star acquisition (like the Yankees of yesteryear) is certainly there. That’s what makes Snell’s dominance even more infuriating for Yankees fans. He’s not only a guy who Yankees fans feel should be pitching in pinstripes; New York literally had multiple windows in which to snag Snell, and passed.

This past offseason, the Yankees missed out on Snell while they were stuck waiting on Juan Soto’s choice. The offseason prior, New York passed on Snell when he signed with the San Francisco Giants, and then opted not to trade for him at the 2024 deadline when SF fell out of contention.

Instead of Snell, the Yankees ended up with two inferior left-handers by sticking with Carlos Rodón and overpaying for Max Fried. Both have been good — don't get us wrong — but Snell represents the big-game identity New York has been missing for a long time. If they had that the last two years, we could be talking about many different outcomes.

For Yankees fans, it used to feel like an inevitability that the best pitchers and hitters in the game ended up in the Bronx, one way or another. That situation now resides in Los Angeles, with Snell being the most recent indication.