Major League Baseball

John Smoltz talks NLCS, postseason pitching on 'Flippin' Bats'

Updated Oct. 18, 2022 11:47 p.m. ET

The MLB Championship Series are upon us, with a pair of contrasting matchups in the American and National Leagues.

On one side, the No. 1 seed Houston Astros will take on the No. 2 seed New York Yankees in the ALCS, which begins on Wednesday night. The ALCS matchup marks the fourth time that the two teams have faced off in the postseason since 2015.

On the other hand, the NLCS features a pair of wild card teams in the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies, both of whom overcame a perennial World Series contender and divisional rival in the NLDS (the Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves). Philadelphia took Game 1 of the NLCS on Tuesday night, 2-0.

In this week's edition of "3 Questions With John Smoltz," the FOX Sports MLB analyst previewed the NLCS and detailed his experience starting in Game 1 of a championship series on "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander."

MLB Playoffs: John Smoltz sits down for 3 questions with Ben Verlander

Ben Verlander sits down with John Smoltz, asking him three questions about the NLCS between the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies.

Question 1: Will there be an emotional letdown for San Diego after defeating L.A.?

What Smoltz said: "It might be if they went on the road, but starting at home and the energy they're going to have, I don't think that's going to be the case. These teams are really two mirror images of themselves, so it's really going to be coming down to the finite things. The execution between runs may be a premium with the starting pitching that they have. I think it's a tremendous high, no doubt.

"But they know now they've got a legitimate chance to go to the World Series and do something special for this city. It's never happened, and so when something's never happened, I think you're going to be more on the edge."

Question 2: Where does the Wheeler-Nola pitching combo rank in the MLB?

What Smoltz said: "When we think about starting pitchers that have gone six or more innings and given up two runs or less, you might go to some other teams. Philadelphia's right in there. San Diego I think is in there, and L.A. was No. 1 if my memory is correct. When you talk about these two guys, I don't think they get a lot of pub nationally, but I think within the game, they realize Wheeler is so hard to hit. Nola's just a pure pitcher and a guy that you know is not going to be beat because of a lack of work, discipline and effort. These staffs, the top three, are as good as it gets. They're going to have one battle after another.

"It'll be interesting to see after Game 2. Of course, with the one day off and there's no more days off, it'll be very interesting to see if the depth comes into play for San Diego, and why they might be a slight favorite."

Phillies' Zack Wheeler speaks with Ken Rosenthal on his impressive performance in NLCS Game 1

In NLCS Game 1 post-game interview with Ken Rosenthal, Zack Wheeler discusses how he beat the San Diego Padres to give the Philadelphia Phillies the win.

Question 3: What do you remember about starting Game 1 of the NLCS [in 1996 against the St. Louis Cardinals] and how important it is to pitch your team to a 1-0 lead in a series?

What Smoltz said: "I know in the NLDS I never lost a Game 1, and I don't think I lost in the NLDS because I thought Game 1s of a best-of-five are the most crucial games there are. Game 1s of a best-of-seven, it's a momentum builder, but I think Game 3 is probably the most crucial game in a seven-game series. It's a swing game. But what I remember the most about that game is I was coming off of 24 wins and everyone expected me to motor through the postseason like I did in the regular season.

"I remember there was a lot of pressure to pitch well because I had a great regular season, and so that postseason was one of my most enjoyable postseasons because literally it was a continuation of the regular season. You don't always see that, and ironically, I only gave up two runs in five games and I got a loss, 1-0, against Andy Pettitte in Game 5 in the World Series. Those things happen. But I remember that game specifically going, ‘I need to set the tone. I need to continue what I was doing in the regular season,’ and fortunately I did."