On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the National League Championship Series in part thanks to former Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow.
Glasnow was surgical in his Game 4 start, striking out eight batters and only allowing two hits in a six-inning shutout effort to help lift Los Angeles over the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1. The postseason outing is an about face for Glasnow, who was forced to watch from the dugout during the Dodgers’ run to winning the World Series last season after a sprained elbow ended his season in September.
“I would take this one over the last one,” said Glasnow, showered in champagne and surrounded by elated teammates. “It’s way better to participate, to be able to go out and do that. Our team played amazing. A bunch of dudes stepped up. Amazing defense.”
Glasnow was traded to Los Angeles in 2023 for right-hander Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca. In nearly six full seasons with the Rays, Glasnow gained a lot of experience in October, appearing in 10 postseason games for Tampa Bay.
However, Glasnow also struggled to maintain a clean bill of health during his time in a Rays uniform, battling significant injuries such as a partially torn UCL and flexor strain in June 2021, leading to Tommy John surgery that August. He also dealt with an oblique strain and forearm strain, gluing him to the injured list for a large chunk of his time in Tampa Bay.
Now, things are looking up for the 32-year-old. After logging a 4-3 record and a 3.19 ERA through 18 regular-season starts, Glasnow is making the most of the postseason in relief and starting roles, providing 7.2 scoreless innings and holding opposing batters to just four hits while racking up 10 strikeouts.
In some of the biggest moments against the Phillies, Glasnow relied on the fastball to carry him through.
“I think early on it was a little rough timing-wise,” Glasnow said. “And I think just going out the next few innings and just like really getting quick and trying to get it timed up helped a lot and the fastball played for me a lot tonight and I just I feel like I had it on all counts and I just kind of leaned on it.”
Although Glasnow was pleased with his performance, he took time to laud the other arms surrounding him.
“It's incredible,” he said. “I think, too, just kind of what we were going through in the regular season a little bit with the bullpen. Everyone's stepped up now, but I think just guys pitching in roles they're not used to.
“It's just incredible, and it just shows how much and how just everyone wants to win and to do whatever to win.”