LOS ANGELES — On a day in 100-degree heat, the second-highest temperature ever for a postseason game at Dodger Stadium, Tarik Skubal reared back and fired a 101.1-mph fastball to Austin Riley in the second inning of the Dodgers’ win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
“ I think I was just trying to match the temperature out there,” Skubal joked after the game. “It was a hot one.”
Skubal threw three pitches at least 100 mph in the 2026 regular season, topping out
at 100.4 mph on April 1 in his second start of the season while still with the Detroit Tigers. In 2025 Skubal threw 31 pitches in triple digits, including five 101 mph or higher, topping out at 102.6 mph. That was over 31 starts, but in the 2025 postseason Skubal packed 22 pitches in triple digits into just three starts.
That was just one of 94 pitches thrown by Skubal on Saturday, and the only one in triple digits, though he had four others between 99.6-99.8 mph, which could be reasonably rounded to 100. Skubal for the game averaged 98.1 mph on his 12 four-seam fastballs and 97.6 mph on his 15 two-seamers, up from his regular season averages of 96.8 mph and 96.7 mph, respectively.
“I think the juices flow a little bit different in postseason games,” Skubal said. “So when I reach back a little bit in postseason stuff, there’s some good counts to kind of let it go in the second inning. … I think environment and adrenaline and the juices flowing kind of always help.”
Skubal, who went to high school in Arizona and currently lives in the state, the heat was something he’s used to. He said as a kid he played a Little League game once in Lake Havasu in 127-degree heat. Skubal stayed hydrated on Saturday and got into a groove, retiring 15 straight batters after a leadoff single to open the game, before allowing a solo home run and two walks in the sixth inning for his only run allowed. The left-hander struck out seven in six innings, lowering his career postseason ERA to 1.97 in seven starts.
Skubal was so focused on pitching, he wasn’t even thinking about the temperature.
“I didn’t really think it was that hot out there until I got done and I walked back in the dugout. I asked — I forget who was sitting, I think it was Snell. I was like, ‘Has it been this hot all game?’ He was like, ‘Yeah,’” Skubal said. “Wow, it’s amazing what your brain can do in certain circumstances and moments. It’s amazing what you can control and kind of eliminate.”
Skubal’s performance helped eliminate one of the three wins the Dodgers need to advance, with Blake Snell waiting to pitch in Game 2 and then Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Tuesday in Atlanta for Game 3.
“To have Blake going tomorrow to follow up with what Tarik did today and knowing that you got Yama in the holster for Game 3, we’re in a good spot,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It all starts with winning Game 1.”
