With the 2025 MLB Postseason starting on Tuesday, the Wild Card Series will get the party going with a flurry of matchups set to take place.
All eyes are looking at the defending World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, not only because they have their eyes set on making history, but also because we may get to see two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani make his postseason pitching debut against the Cincinnati Reds.
According to Bob Nightengale, the Dodgers' projected probable pitches for the Wild Card Series go as follows: Blake Snell on the mound for Game One, Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game Two, and if needed, Shohei Ohtani will step on the mound for a crucial clinching Game Three.
The question now lies in whether we will see Ohtani pitch in the Wild Card series, but there is also a possibility that, instead of pitching in Game Three against the Reds, the Dodgers may hold off on Ohtani's services and have him start Game One against the Philadelphia Phillies if the Dodgers advance to the NLDS.
But the looming uncertainty still lies in playoff baseball, and of course, anything can happen.
With the recent stretches of games that Snell and Yamamoto have been having, the Wild Card Series seemingly falls into the Dodgers' hands, especially with having the southpaw and ace scheduled to pitch in back-to-back games. Still, the Reds are hungry enough as it is, wanting to prove what they can do in the limelight and having a starting rotation led by the Los Angeles native, Hunter Greene. This Wild Card Series is surely one to keep an eye on.