Blake Snell’s pregame comments come back to bite him in most satisfying way for Brewers fans

"The way Pat [Murphy] talks and how he talks to the team is way different than last year...How do you counter that? How do you get them into a different place? I think they're in a good spot now, especially being up 2-0, but adversity hits, and that's when thoughts start racing."

Those were Blake Snell's comments during his pre-start press conference on Tuesday afternoon before he took the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, as seen in the video below. The two-time Cy Young Award winner, who dominated the Milwaukee Brewers in last year's NLCS, alluded to the fact that Pat Murphy's squad, which was among the most resilient in baseball this year, could spiral when faced with adversity. For a team that now has five come-from-behind wins in their first seven postseason games this year, those comments fell flat.

Not only were Snell's comments met with eye rolls from a Brewers fanbase that has watched their team face adversity head-on throughout the year, rather than shy away from it, but the Dodgers' southpaw's assessment of his opponent also came back to bite him during his Game 3 start.

Between Jackson Chourio's first-pitch, leadoff home run, and the start of the seventh inning last night, Snell looked virtually unhittable. He was locating all four of his pitches, generating a ton of whiffs, and keeping his team in the game despite his offense's lack of production. In the bottom of the sixth inning, however, that offense broke through, and the Dodgers took the lead. Said offense was mostly generated by Abner Uribe's lack of command, which led him to load the bases with three walks, but a big two-RBI double off the left-center wall from the struggling Will Smith was key to Los Angeles taking a one-run lead.

With just nine outs left to overcome that one-run deficit, it could easily be said that the Brewers were facing adversity. However, rather than let their "thoughts race," as Snell expected them to, Murphy's team, just as they've done throughout the postseason, immediately responded. In the top of the seventh, with Snell nearing the end of his outing, Andrew Vaughn led off the inning with a seven-pitch walk. Then, Jake Bauers turned in the at-bat of the postseason, by battling Snell for 10 pitches before crushing a go-ahead, two-run homer on the 11th offering from the Dodgers' southpaw. Immediately after that momentum-shifting swing, Snell missed his spot with a changeup to Garrett Mitchell, and the Brewers outfielder made him pay by crushing a solo homer to nearly the exact same spot that Bauers' home run landed.

In that regard, it wasn't the Brewers whose thoughts started racing when adversity struck, but rather it was Snell, who let the leadoff walk and the lengthy at-bat from Bauers derail what was otherwise an excellent start. The Brewers' social media team poked fun at this narrative switch with the post seen below.

Snell, however, took the high road after the game, and for that he should be commended. Rather than double down on his inaccurate assessment of the Brewers or make excuses for his lack of execution in the seventh inning, Snell congratulated his former teammate, Bauers, for what was truly an incredible at-bat and an unbelievable swing.

Blake Snell makes up for pregame comments with classy message about former teammate Jake Bauers in post-game interview

Back in 2018, Snell and Bauers played together on the Tampa Bay Rays. At the end of that season, Snell was named the AL Cy Young Award winner, and Bauers was traded to Cleveland after a lackluster rookie year. Fast forward eight years, and the two met in what was the biggest at-bat of the NLCS thus far.

After the game, Snell acknowledged the journey that Bauers has been on since they were teammates, saying, as seen in the video below, "I've seen all the ups and downs he's been through and it's been a lot of downs, so for him to go through this right now, he's earned it. Hats off to him."

On the specific at-bat, which was the second time Bauers has seen at least 11 pitches in an at-bat in the last two games, Snell said, "I mean what an at-bat. I mean I threw everything I had...This is the best I've ever seen him play."

It's a classy response from Snell, whose team now faces the reality of winning four straight games against the best team in baseball just to keep their season alive. Snell could have made excuses, but instead he decided to simply give Bauers the respect he deserves for what was one of, if not the most impressive at-bat of the postseason.

Following Snell's pregame comments, his post-game response and praise for Bauers undoubtedly represented a shift in the narrative. Whereas claiming the first sign of adversity could derail the Brewers' series lead didn't offer the necessary respect to the team and culture that has been built in Milwaukee, Snell's post-game interview was filled with respect for his opponent. When an opposing hitter puts together an at-bat like Bauers did in the seventh inning of Game 3, it's hard not to give them the respect they deserve.

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