The Aporia · Former Cy Young winner questions Dodgers pitch selections in NLCS

Former Cy Young winner questions Dodgers pitch selections in NLCS

Read the original at New York Post ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Martinez, V. (2026, October 18). Former Cy Young winner questions Dodgers pitch selections in NLCS. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/17/sports/former-cy-young-winner-questions-dodgers-pitch-selections-nlcs/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Quick Summary

John Smoltz, a former pitcher, criticized the Dodgers' pitching choices during their National League Championship Series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers swept the series despite trailing in every game except for one where they were down by four runs. Smoltz noted that veteran pitchers should not make such mistakes and suggested that poor pitch selections allowed the Brewers to capitalize on key moments, leading to the shocking outcome of the series.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-18, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

The Milwaukee Brewers swept the heavily-favored Los Angeles Dodgers in four games to reach their first World Series since 1982. In Game 4 on October 16, Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning as Milwaukee won 6-4 at Dodger Stadium, completing the sweep. The Brewers' bullpen shut down the Dodgers late, sealing the historic comeback against the two-time defending champions.

This marks the first time since 1991 that both World Series teams will be among MLB's smallest spenders, highlighting parity issues in baseball as owners argue for a salary cap while players push back. The Brewers now face either the Cleveland Guardians or Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series starting October 23.

Former Cy Young winner John Smoltz criticized the Dodgers' pitching choices during the NLCS, suggesting poor decisions enabled Milwaukee's offensive surge throughout the series. Despite strong rotations led by pitchers like Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, none lasted past the fifth inning against a red-hot Brewers lineup. The surprising sweep has reignited debates about competitive balance in MLB.

Written for “Dodgers Vs Brewers NLCS Game 3 Loss” on 2026-10-18, grounded in this article and the 35 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 10% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Fans react to Blake Snell’s surprising start vs Brewers in NLCS Game 3 different event · 95%

New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 13 📰 publisher trust 67

“The articles discuss different aspects of the NLCS game and series, with Article A focusing on Blake Snell's start and a specific home run by Jackson Chourio in Game 3, while Article B focuses on criticism of pitch selections and performance across multiple games.”

Dodgers face an offseason reckoning after stunning NLCS sweep same event · 90%

New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 12% hedged 6 of 49 📰 publisher trust 67

“Both articles discuss the Dodgers' sweep in the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.”

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New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 23 📰 publisher trust 67

“The articles discuss different aspects of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers, with Article A focusing on Blake Snell's observations about Milwaukee's team dynamics while Article B discusses criticism of the Dodgers' pitching performance.”

Brewers manager has epic quote straight from Hollywood script after sweeping vaunted Dodgers different event · 85%

Fox News

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 15% hedged 4 of 26 📰 publisher trust 67

“While both articles discuss the Dodgers' loss to the Brewers in the NLCS, Article A focuses on the Brewers' manager's comments about the series victory, while Article B highlights an analysis by John Smoltz regarding the Dodgers' pitching strategy.”

Yoshinobu Yamamoto still searching for answers after disastrous NLCS inning different event · 80%

New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 20 📰 publisher trust 67

“While both articles discuss Yoshinobu Yamamoto's performance during a game in the NLCS, Article A focuses on Yamamoto's immediate reaction after his poor inning, while Article B is an analysis by John Smoltz about the entire series and includes broader criticism of pitch selections.”

Dodgers dynasty ends with loss to Brewers in NLCS, former NL MVP predicts different event · 75%

New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 25% hedged 2 of 8 📰 publisher trust 67

“While both articles discuss the Dodgers' loss to the Brewers in the NLCS, Article A focuses on the general disappointment and prediction of the end of the Dodgers dynasty by a former MVP, while Article B specifically addresses criticism of the Dodgers' pitch selections during the series. The two articles are covering related aspects but not the same specific incident.”

Blake Snell goes from hero to zero as Dodgers collapse in Game 3 loss to Brewers different event · 70%

New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 6% hedged 2 of 34 📰 publisher trust 67

“The articles describe different aspects of the NLCS; one focuses on Blake Snell's performance in Game 3 while the other discusses overall pitching strategy and criticism.”

Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets chased early by the Brewers in a rare postseason dud different event · 60%

Toronto Star

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 2 of 28 📰 publisher trust 63

“Article A describes Yoshinobu Yamamoto's poor performance in a single game of the NLCS on October 13, while Article B discusses broader pitch selection criticism for the entire Dodgers' rotation during the series which ended with them being swept by Milwaukee.”

Dodgers dynasty on the brink after the Milwaukee BABIP machine dials up another win for Brewers different event · 50%

Fox News

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 2 of 49 📰 publisher trust 67

“The articles discuss different aspects of the NLCS series between Dodgers and Brewers; Article A focuses on Game 2 while Article B discusses the overall performance leading to a sweep.”

Derek Jeter delivers bleak Dodgers reality check after falling into 2-0 NLCS hole different event · 50%

New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 10% hedged 1 of 10 📰 publisher trust 67

“While both articles discuss the Dodgers' performance in the NLCS against the Brewers, Article A focuses on Derek Jeter's comments about the team's situation after losing the first two games, whereas Article B discusses pitch selection criticism by John Smoltz after a later phase of the series.”

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

10%

1 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

67/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Sports

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Valentina Martinez

110 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 “In my opinion, there were some pitch selections — I don’t know if it came from Will Smith or it was the pitcher himself — and they put the Milwaukee Brewers in a position to flex their muscles when the Dodgers should have been flexing theirs.

2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Former Cy Young winner questions Dodgers pitch selections in NLCS

🔮 Kiké Hernandez may have played his final game with the Dodgers.

2026-10-18 · mixed framing · Dodgers fan favorite acknowledges potential final season with LA in message: ‘If this is it for us’

🔮 The Dodgers, who face an uncertain future after the failed quest for a three-peat, will need Tucker to play at All-Star strength the entire 2027 season as one of the many veterans on the roster.

2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Kyle Tucker sends promising message to Dodgers fans after atrocious debut season

🔮 Their performance has been anything but impressive, however, a win over the Chiefs ahead of the bye week would surely help the low morale in the Chargers’ building.

2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Chargers rejecting trade calls as LA searches for first win of season vs Chiefs

🔮 The Lakers have an abundance of wings, including Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero, Cameron Carr and Jake LaRavia.

2026-10-17 · assertive framing · JJ Redick drops major hint on which Lakers player will be cut ahead of Warriors season opener

🔮 Now, it appears there might be an opportunity for Baldelli to return to MLB as a manager with the Mariners.

2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Dodgers could lose front office exec after early postseason exit

🔮 The Dodgers will have a new look in 2027.

2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Dodgers World Series hero says goodbye to teammates in emotional social media post

🔮 There are still questions surrounding the Lakers defense heading into the 2026-27 campaign, but the offense is expected to have plenty of firepower.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Former NBA champion makes bold Lakers prediction as Opening Night approaches

🔮 “I would love to be back.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Kiké Hernandez’s uncertain Dodgers future gets eyebrow-raising plea from playoff legend

🔮 But the NLCS proved that while the Dodgers may be the richest team in the league, luxurious spending does not guarantee a championship.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Mookie Betts sends heartfelt message to Dodgers fans after Brewers sweep in NLCS

Also by Valentina Martinez

Dodgers fan favorite acknowledges potential final season with LA in message: ‘If this is it for us’

2026-10-17 · New York Post

Kyle Tucker sends promising message to Dodgers fans after atrocious debut season

2026-10-17 · New York Post

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 110 articles by Valentina Martinez →

Narrative

Claims (10 extracted, 1 hedged)

John Smoltz got a firsthand look at the Dodgers’ collapse in the National League Championship Series. asserted

Smoltz → get → Series

On the call with play-by-play announcer Joe Davis, the former Cy Young winner watched every pitch from the Dodgers’ rotation. asserted

winner → watch → rotation

Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow comprised the lethal group, but none of the elite hurlers made it past the fifth inning against a red-hot Brewers lineup. asserted

none → comprise → lineup

Smoltz criticized the Dodgers’ pitch selections in the NLCS, where the back-to-back World Series champions were swept by Milwaukee. asserted

champions → criticize → Milwaukee

“They pitched well, but they didn’t pitch good enough in situations where veteran pitchers should not be making those mistakes,” Smoltz said on the Flippin’ Bats podcast. asserted

Smoltz → pitch → podcast

“In my opinion, there were some pitch selections — I don’t know if it came from Will Smith or it was the pitcher himself — and they put the Milwaukee Brewers in a position to flex their muscles when the Dodgers should have been flexing theirs. asserted

Dodgers → be → theirs

“It was the most shocking scenario that I could have seen from a standpoint, all right, lay out the series, this is how Milwaukee’s gonna win. uncertain

Milwaukee → see → series

There’s no way you said they’re gonna win trailing every game, never being down, with the exception of the last game being down by four. asserted

game → ’ → four

They were gonna out-homer, they were gonna hit better with runners in scoring position, that isn’t as shocking they did that in the regular season. asserted

they → go → season

And they were gonna dominate from the bullpen in a way that we have never seen.” asserted

we → go → that

Former Cy Young winner questions Dodgers pitch selections in NLCS

Quick Summary

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

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Claims (10 extracted, 1 hedged)