LOS ANGELES -- When the familiar blare of Timmy Trumpet’s "Narco" echoed through Dodger Stadium on Sunday evening, it didn't signal the ninth inning. Instead, Edwin Díaz trotted out from the bullpen in the top of the sixth with Los Angeles trailing by a run in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
For a pitcher who signed a three-year, $69 million contract in the offseason to anchor the bullpen, entering a postseason game in the middle innings wasn't the original blueprint. But after a regular season disrupted by injuries and mechanical adjustments, Sunday night provided proof that his top-tier stuff might be back right when the Dodgers need it most.
Making his Dodgers postseason debut, Díaz put together his most explosive outing of the season, pumping 100 mph fastballs and snapping off sharp sliders in a three-up, three-down inning featuring two strikeouts. The Dodgers ultimately fell to the Braves, 3-2, to split the first two games at Chavez Ravine, but Díaz provided the team's most encouraging development ahead of the series shifting to Atlanta.
“Edwin was great," manager Dave Roberts said. "I think if you look at tonight, try to find some silver linings, that was a silver lining and certainly a positive."
"It felt amazing," Díaz added. "That's why I came here -- to help this team win and pitch in big spots. … I want to keep getting the ball and doing my job.”
Díaz set the tone immediately against Austin Riley, locking him up with a 99.5 mph four-seamer before freezing him on back-to-back sliders for a three-pitch strikeout. Next came pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski, whom Díaz blew away with two triple-digit fastballs -- topping out at 100.8 mph -- to notch his second strikeout. It was his fastest pitch (regular season or postseason) since Game 4 of the 2024 NLDS.
He threw Drake Baldwin a third triple-digit heater before capping the frame by inducing a flyout to complete a 12-pitch performance. In all, Díaz hit 100-plus mph with three pitches, his most in an outing since September 2024.
For Díaz, the efficiency and raw velocity displayed on Sunday were rewarding signs of recent progress.
"I think I've been putting a lot of work together in the last maybe two weeks, week and a half, and today it played out," Díaz said. "The shape of the slider was great, and the fastball movement was really good. I think today was really good. Just got to keep doing my job, keep helping this team to win when they give me the ball."
When asked if he feels he’s back to pitching at the level he reached last year, he pointed to his momentum down the stretch.
"I think the last few weeks, I've been pitching really good," Díaz said. "Last year, I pitched great all season long. This season didn't start the way everyone wanted, but I finished strong late in the season, and I kept doing it right now in my first game in the postseason. So I'm really happy right now."
As Díaz noted, the early months of the year were far from ideal. After undergoing surgery in April to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, he missed three months before returning on July 29. Neck inflammation sent him back to the injured list in August, forcing him into a lower-leverage bullpen role upon his mid-September return while working to recalibrate his mechanics. But stepping onto the October stage brings a little something different.
"My arm feels pretty good, my body feels great," Díaz said. "It's playoff baseball, so everything changes. ... I was throwing strikes. I was letting the ball rip, and I was doing my job."
When asked about navigating a changing role throughout his recovery, Díaz remained focused solely on executing whenever called upon.
"I'm just hoping to do my job in any situation," Díaz said. "They made decisions -- I just got to wait to see in any situation when they bring me in. I will do my job. I'm here to win games, so I would treat every inning like it's the ninth inning."
While the Dodgers have leaned on a committee approach in late innings since Díaz's midseason absence, his performance on Sunday opened the door for a potential return to high-leverage duties as October intensifies.
When asked directly whether Díaz could reclaim the closer role during this postseason run, Roberts didn't hesitate.
"Yeah, I think I've been very consistent in the fact that I wanted to get him an outing, and this was a big spot," Roberts said. "He did what he needed to do. It looked great. So absolutely, you could see him closing, yes. I could see him closing."
For Díaz, the title matters far less than answering the call.
"We are playing playoff games, every inning counts," Díaz said. "So I'm open to coming in any situation. ... The trumpets will hype me up a little bit. But if I come in the fifth or the ninth, it's going to play out the same for me."