The defending champions have made their first big call of October. Tarik Skubal Dodgers Game 1 is official: the Dodgers will hand the ball to their left-handed ace for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, going with the trade-deadline blockbuster over last year’s playoff hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET) on FOX, and the Dodgers will open their bid for a third consecutive World Series title in what could be a furnace.
The club made the announcement official on Friday, according to Reuters and Sports Illustrated. It’s a decision that immediately sparked debate: Yamamoto was the 2025 World Series MVP and the man who carried Los Angeles through last October. But the Dodgers didn’t give up a haul to Detroit at the deadline to have Skubal watch the opener from the dugout.
Tarik Skubal Dodgers Game 1: Why the Lefty Got the Ball
Skubal, 29, arrived from the Tigers on Aug. 2 as the marquee prize of the trade deadline — a two-time defending American League Cy Young winner imported to front the rotation of a team built to win right now. Since the trade, he has been exactly what the Dodgers paid for: 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 Dodgers starts, including two scoreless seven-inning gems in the final weeks of the season.
Before the trade, Skubal went 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts for Detroit, giving him a strong full-season body of work on top of the Cy Young pedigree. And October doesn’t rattle him, either: he owns a 2-1 record with a 2.04 ERA across six postseason starts for the Tigers.
That track record is why the Tarik Skubal Dodgers Game 1 decision, surprising as the Yamamoto snub may look on paper, is defensible. In a five-game series, Game 1 sets the tone, and Los Angeles is betting its biggest imported arm is the man for the moment.
Where Does Yamamoto Fit? The Game 3 Plan
Yamamoto is hardly being buried. The 2025 World Series MVP went 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA in 28 starts this season and is expected to take the ball in Game 3, according to reporting from the New York Post — where he would likely face off against Braves ace Chris Sale.
That would set up a delicious pitching matchup in Atlanta: Yamamoto’s pinpoint command and the splitter that baffled hitters all season against Sale’s veteran guile on the road. Blake Snell, meanwhile, is lined up for Game 2 on Sunday, according to dodgersbeat.com, meaning Los Angeles opens the series with a left-right-left gauntlet: Skubal, Snell, Yamamoto.
It’s a rotation construction that only a team of the Dodgers’ depth could assemble — three frontline starters, any of whom could have taken Game 1 for most clubs in baseball.
Tarik Skubal Dodgers Game 1: Surviving the ~100°F Heat
As if October drama needed an extra ingredient, the weather is serving up a brutal one. Temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit are expected at Dodger Stadium at Saturday’s first pitch, according to the New York Post — punishing conditions for everyone, but particularly for the Braves, who will be the ones sweating through a mid-afternoon start on the road.
The good news for both clubs: relief arrives Sunday. Game 2, scheduled for 5 p.m. PT, is expected to be significantly cooler, per the same reporting. The contrast between the two games could be stark — a sweltering Saturday matinee followed by a more comfortable Sunday evening.
Extreme heat can subtly reshape a game: pitchers labor, grips on breaking balls get trickier, and bullpens can become a war of attrition. The Dodgers’ depth is built for exactly that kind of October test.
How Los Angeles Arrived Here
The Dodgers’ path to the NLDS ran through a Braves team that survived its own wild-card fight. Atlanta punched its ticket to Chavez Ravine by outlasting the Phillies in a dramatic Game 3, setting up this heavyweight NLDS showdown. For more on how the Braves got here, read our companion piece: Braves beat Phillies in Game 3 to set up NLDS date with the Dodgers.
Stakes: A Three-Peat Bid Begins
Saturday isn’t just another playoff game — it’s the opening act of the Dodgers’ quest for a third straight World Series title, a feat of modern-era dominance that would put this club in rare historical air.
The Braves, for their part, arrive as legitimate threats, not ceremonial opponents. But Los Angeles is playing at home, starting the two-time reigning Cy Young winner in front of its own fans, and still has the 2025 World Series MVP held back for Game 3. If that doesn’t sound like a team with options, nothing does.
FAQ
Who is starting NLDS Game 1 for the Dodgers?
Left-hander Tarik Skubal will start Game 1 for the Dodgers against the Braves on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, the club announced Friday, according to Reuters. He was chosen over Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 2025 World Series MVP.
When is Dodgers vs. Braves NLDS Game 1?
First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET) on Saturday, October 3, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The game will air on FOX.
What are Tarik Skubal’s numbers with the Dodgers?
Skubal went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts for Los Angeles after being acquired from Detroit at the Aug. 2 trade deadline. He is a two-time defending AL Cy Young winner with a 2.04 ERA in six career postseason starts (all with the Tigers).
When will Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitch in the NLDS?
Yamamoto (14-9, 2.53 ERA this season) is expected to start Game 3, where he would likely face Braves ace Chris Sale, according to the New York Post. Blake Snell is lined up for Game 2 on Sunday.
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