GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell pitched a scoreless inning in his spring training debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
Snell, who agreed to a $182 million, five-year deal with the Dodgers in November, threw 20 of 30 pitches for strikes. Snell got J.P. Crawford to ground out to start the game, fanned Seattle star Julio Rodríguez, gave up a two-out single to Randy Arozarena and induced a groundout by Mitch Garver to finish the inning.
The left-handed Snell's fastball regularly touched 96 mph, a welcome sign in February.
“I was looking at velo(city) more than I thought I was going to," Snell said. “But yeah, really happy where that's at.”
The 32-year-old went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA last season with San Francisco, striking out 145 batters in 104 innings.
“Fastball command is everything,” Snell said. "If you don’t have that, it’s going to be very touch to pitch in this league.”
The eight-year veteran then went to the bullpen after his inning to tinker with his offspeed pitches. Snell won Cy Young Awards in 2018 with Tampa Bay and 2023 with San Diego. He is 76-58 with a 3.19 ERA in nine seasons with the Rays (2016-20), Padres (2021-23) and Giants.
Snell joins a rotation projected to include Yoshinobu Yamamoto and 23-year-old rookie Roki Sasaki, who gave up a homer to Chicago White Sox prospect Kyle Teel in a simulated game on Tuesday. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani, recovering from elbow surgery, is expected to join the rotation at some point after opening day.
“It was the first time I got to pitch in a Dodger uniform,” Snell said. “Definitely excited about that.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws during the first inning during a spring training baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws during the first inning during a spring training baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws during the first inning during a spring training baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Philip Rivers has made the postgame walk to answer tough questions dozens of times over his previous 17 NFL seasons.
This time seemed different.
With the Indianapolis Colts having been eliminated from the postseason for a fifth consecutive year even before Rivers and his teammates took the field Sunday, the 44-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist knows he may have taken his last snap.
“It’s been an absolute blast for three weeks and if I go back now and said, ‘All right, now you know everything that’s going to happen, what are you going to do? I’d do it all again,’” Rivers said after the Colts lost 23-17 to Jacksonville. “So, yeah, if it’s the last one, it’s the last one. I thought the last one was walking off the field in Buffalo (in January 2021), walking up that tunnel and I was fine with that. I had tears those few days after that and I was at peace with that being the last one. So, certainly, if it is (the last one), I got three more bonus games that I never saw coming.”
Rivers provided two elements the Colts (8-8) needed when they brought him out of a five-year retirement. His passion energized the locker room after Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon, and he gave the Colts a chance to pull themselves out of a historic second-half swoon in which they became just the sixth team since 1970 — and the first in 30 years — to start 7-1 and miss the playoffs.
But Rivers has lost all three of his starts, with the Colts' overall skid now at six games.
His late interception at Seattle ended the Colts' bid for a miracle rally. And an interception Sunday on a tipped ball allowed the Jags (12-4) to kick the tiebreaking field goal with 6:58 to play.
While Rivers took accountability for both miscues with his typical down-home demeanor, he knows he's not the face of the Colts' future.
So with one meaningless game remaining next weekend at Houston, the Colts could give Rivers one more start, but it might make sense for them to take a look at Anthony Richardson — the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023 — or rookie Riley Leonard. Richardson has not been activated from the injured reserve list but has started practicing.
“I'll figure that out Tuesday,” coach Shane Steichen said.
If Rivers' career is over, again, five years after he left the first time, he has no regrets.
He rented a place in Indianapolis, moved his entire family back to Indy for the final month of the season and brought dozens of players from St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama — where he's the head coach — to Lucas Oil Stadium to watch his home finale.
In career start No. 423, Rivers surpassed Hall of Famer Warren Moon as the fourth-oldest quarterback to start in the NFL. Rivers played at 44 years, 20 days; Moon was 44 years and eight days.
If he makes start No. 424, Rivers would pass Vinny Testaverde — 44 years and 26 days — as the third oldest, trailing only Steve DeBerg and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
Rivers ranks sixth in league history in TD passes with 425 and is eighth on the career yards passing list with 63,984 — just behind Matthew Stafford and 105 yards away from moving past two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger.
Rivers knows he may not get that chance.
“I’m going to be on board and supportive of whatever the organization, Shane and whoever, however that decision is going to come to be,” Rivers said. “I’m sure I’ll have some conversation. It won’t just be a blind-side Tuesday conversation for me. And I’m going to be on board to do what’s best for the guys.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers jogs off the field following an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Mullens (14) talks with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) following an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throws under pressure from Jacksonville Jaguars safety Eric Murray (29) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
