By now the rhythms of a typical Dodgers season are familiar: An offseason spending spree induces hysterics; a rash of long-term injuries and poor individual seasons puts a bit of a damper on the 162; they arrive in the playoffs, imperious as ever, ready to do damage. During the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory over the Brewers in Game 1 of the NLCS, that damage was done by Blake Snell.
Up until a few weeks ago, you may have forgotten that Snell was even on the Dodgers’ roster. His signing in the offseason—five years for $182 million—was one of several that the Dodgers executed simply because no other team in the league seemed willing to spend money on a two-time Cy Young winner. In any other context, on any other team, Snell’s first year in Los Angeles could be considered a disaster. He made two starts at the beginning of the season before a shoulder injury took him out of action for four months. On another type of team, one where Snell would have been the highest-paid player on the roster and the only free-agent prize of the last few years, such an injury would have probably sunk the season.
