The MLB postseason officially got underway with the Wild Card round beginning Tuesday and pitchers had the advantage. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal stole the spotlight with a 14-strikeout gem against the Cleveland Guardians. But five of the eight starters from Tuesday’s games recorded at least eight strikeouts.
When the dust settled, pitchers racked up an incredible 92 total strikeouts in 70 innings on the opening day of the MLB playoffs. The K/9 rate of 11.83 is the highest for any single day of baseball in the modern era – regular or postseason – with at least four games, per OptaSTATS.
For context, the season-long K/9 average throughout the majors in 2025 was 7.56. Obviously, pitching improves in the playoffs. But the Game 1 starters in the Wild Card round were absolutely dealing.
Pitchers open postseason with MLB strikeout-rate record
Skubal’s dominant performance (7.2 innings, one run, three hits, three walks) helped the Tigers earn a 2-1 victory over the Guardians. The reigning AL Cy Young winner became just the 14th pitcher to notch 14 Ks in a playoff game.
Garrett Crochet was still throwing smoke in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s showdown with the New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox’s lefty allowed one run on four hits and no walks while striking out 11 batters in 7.2 innings. The clutch outing led Boston to a 3-1 win.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' matchup against the Cincinnati Reds was the only game featuring more than four total runs on Tuesday. But it wasn’t Blake Snell’s fault. The two-time Cy Young winner was electric in the Dodgers’ 10-5 victory. Snell had the best postseason start of his career, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with nine strikeouts in seven innings.
The only game that didn’t feature at least one starter completing seven innings on Tuesday was the San Diego Padres' showdown against the Chicago Cubs. Padres’ veteran Nick Pivetta threw five strong innings, giving up two runs on three hits and no walks while recording nine strikeouts. Meanwhile, Cubs’ All-Star lefty Matthew Boyd allowed one run on four hits and one walk but only mustered two Ks in 4.1 innings.
Chicago had the fewest strikeouts of the eight teams in action on Tuesday with six total Ks. But the Cubs got the 3-1 win – their first postseason victory in eight years – jumping out to a 1-0 advantage over San Diego in the best-of-three series.
