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 d

See Full Page