PHOENIX –– In Game 1 of last year's National League Championship Series, Blake Snell made the start of his life.
Eight innings. No runs. One hit. Ten strikeouts. Utter, total and pure domination of the Brewers.
In the days that followed, however, he knew something wasn't right.
Blake Snell interviewed at Dodger Stadium. Getty Images
"After that start," Snell recalled Sunday, "it was like, 'Holy s—.'"
Turns out, the shoulder injury that dogged Snell for much of his debut season with the Dodgers didn't end once he returned from the injured list in early August. Following that NLCS masterclass last October, his shoulder pain returned again –– and, despite Snell making three more outings in the World Series , continued to linger over most of the winter .
That's why Snell now finds himself behind schedule leading up to the new season.
Entering spring training, he acknowledged he was going to slow-play his ramp-up, after spending most of the winter getting physical therapy on his shoulder.
And this week, manager Dave Roberts confirmed the inevitable, acknowledging Snell's chances of being ready for Opening Day are "probably zero" as he still waits to even throw off a mound.
In the past, this might have been a bigger frustration for the 33-year-old left-hander. Despite being a two-time Cy Young Award winner with what is widely regarded as some of the best raw stuff in the sport, questions about workload and durability have long followed him over his 10-season career.
Yet, when asked about his status Sunday, Snell sounded more upbeat than deflated by his delayed start to the season.
"I feel really good," he told The California Post. "The whole offseason was tough. But finally, I'm where I want to be. So now it's building up and getting ready for the season. … Trust my arm, get everything synced up."
Last spring, Snell noted, he pushed himself too hard to be ready for the start of his first Dodgers season. He began his ramp-up several weeks early, after his $182 million signing in the offseason. He tried to pitch through shoulder pain that first popped up after an exhibition outing during the team's season-opening trip to Japan. Although he started the Dodgers' home opener, Snell went on the injured list following his next outing against the Braves a week later, missing the next four months with what the team described as shoulder inflammation.
Snell works out during spring training. AP
"Last spring, I was so excited to pitch, and I just got myself in a bad spot, getting ready too quick," Snell said. "What I should've done –– once we went to Japan, that's when I started feeling the shoulder –– I should've stopped. But I wanted to pitch Opening Day. And then I wanted to pitch against the Braves after that. And that's when it was like, 'Ah.' I could barely get my shoulder up to throw after that. So then it took a while to get back to normal. … And in the postseason, I felt it again."
What Snell is proud of, in hindsight, was his ability to "battle through" the playoffs.
He spun gems in the wild-card round (seven innings, two runs) and Division Series (six scoreless innings) even before his near-complete game in the NLCS. And though he struggled in his two World Series starts, his 1 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief in Game 7 allowed the Dodgers to get to Yoshinobu Yamamoto in extra innings.
"Pitching in the postseason is the best feeling in the world," he said. "There's no better feeling than pitching (in that atmosphere), the crowd, the excitement, all the emotions that go into each start. It's a rush of adrenaline, man. So I want to pitch in more meaningful games."
"But," he added, "I gotta do everything right to get there."
Thus, Snell is taking things slower this time around –– hoping to avoid the extended absence he endured last year.
He is still only out to 90 feet in catch play but has seen an uptick in his velocity in recent days. The Dodgers are hopeful he will be able to throw off a mound before the end of camp, at which point they can set a firmer target date for his return to the rotation.
"Sooner is better," he said, noting his ultimate goal is to be in position to star in the playoffs again this fall. "But I'm taking my time, trusting them. … Just gotta take this slow, take the course."
