The Los Angeles Dodgers will give the starting nod for Game 1 of the National League Division Series to left-hander Tarik Skubal, the team announced Friday.
"It's an honor and a privilege to start Game 1 and have the trust in the coaching staff and my teammates and the organization to take the ball and go out there and do what I can do to put our team in a position to win. I'm excited for it," Skubal said on Friday, according to MLB.com's Sonja Chen.
Saturday's outing against the Atlanta Braves will mark Skubal's first postseason appearance for the Dodgers, who acquired him from the Detroit Tigers ahead of the trade deadline.
The 29-year-old earned the start over fellow two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Skubal pitched well for the Dodgers during the regular season, authoring a 2.61 ERA, 2.36 FIP, and 10.2 K/9 in 10 starts.
Los Angeles is attempting to become the first team to win three straight World Series titles since the New York Yankees did it from 1998-2000.
