Dodgers NLDS: Tyler Glasnow Pitched Through Cramps During Game 4 Start

The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced through the National League Division Series by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in four games thanks in part to a brilliant start turned in by Tyler Glasnow in what amounted to the finale.

Making his first postseason start with the Dodgers and first since doing so for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023, Glasnow looked every bit as the expected ace when he was acquired via trade. He turned in six shutout innings with eight strikeouts, giving up just two hits and three walks.

But after the sixth inning, Glasnow was removed from the game, which appeared to be a questionable decision at the time considering he had only thrown 83 pitches.

“He had cramps in the fifth and sixth,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained after the walk-off win. “He hasn’t thrown that many pitches in a month. I felt that with the cramps, and we pushed him as far as I wanted to push him right there.”

Glasnow said he started feeling the cramps around the end of the third inning, but didn’t believe it was an issue that limited him in any way.

“I tried to put it out of my mind,” Glasnow said. “It didn’t affect anything. I think when I got around it sometimes and I was late, it started to cramp a little bit more. But I didn’t think about it too much, and it was fine.”

Despite the cramps, Glasnow turned in the best postseason start of his career. It was just the third time he’s gone six innings in a playoff game, but it was the first instance he didn’t allow multiple runs while pitching that deep into a game.

Tyler Glasnow happy to make postseason start for Dodgers

After missing the 2024 postseason due to injury, Glasnow was thrilled to be on the mound this October. He already made one appearance in relief, but now he can say he made a start in the playoffs for the team he grew up cheering for.

“It means everything,” Glasnow said. “It’s been a dream of mine for a long time, not only to play for the Dodgers but in the postseason, in meaningful games. It just feels incredible.”