The question on everyone’s mind is whether Justin Wrobleski’s impressive early-season performance can be maintained throughout the year.

If his fastball continues to be as effective as it was on Friday night, he might just be unstoppable.

During the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night, which marked the beginning of their postseason rematch, Wrobleski delivered what can only be described as his most outstanding outing of the 2026 season so far.

He pitched seven commanding innings, conceding only one run and a single hit that came in the sixth inning. Wrobleski set a new personal record with nine strikeouts, twice retiring the side, and achieved a career-high 16 swings and misses overall.

Crucially, his fastball seemed to be revitalized, reaching an average speed of 94.9 mph for the season, with peak speeds hitting a blistering 97 mph multiple times. This potent pitch accounted for all nine of his strikeouts, marking a truly dominant performance.

“It’s just kind of felt like a little bit of a missing piece,” Wrobleski said. “It just honestly gives me more confidence to kind of go out there and attack even more.”

Indeed, previously this year, the 25-year-old southpaw had been pitching to contact and limiting damage. It had allowed him to be efficient, going six innings or more in all but two of his eight starts. But it also left him with one of the lowest strikeout rates in the majors this season, raising questions over whether his impressive numbers were only an early, and bound-to-regress, mirage.

But then came Friday, when –– in a marquee matchup, against a star-studded Phillies lineup, and with Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw sitting in the front row for measure –– Wrobleski took the mound and flashed a different version of himself.

He bullied hitters in the zone. He dared them to hit his almost untouchable stuff.

“He’s chewed up a lot of innings [earlier this season],” manager Dave Roberts said. “But when you can get the swing and miss in the zone, that’s kind of a separator for any pitcher.”

Wrobleski was so good on Friday, he easily outdueled three-time All-Star Zack Wheeler, who gave up four home runs for only the second time in his career against a Dodgers lineup steadily finding its collective swing.

Freddie Freeman opened the scoring by slapping an opposite-field solo shot in the first. Max Muncy tied Andy Pages for the team lead in home runs by mashing his 13th of the year in the second.

Shohei Ohtani kept up his recent tear by depositing another solo drive into the Phillies bullpen in the third. Even the slumping Will Smith got in on the action, making it 4-0 in the fifth before the Phillies lineup had even recorded its first hit.

“We just weren’t missing the few mistakes he was making,” Muncy said.

Wrobleski, on the other hand, hardly let the Phillies barrel anything up.

He averaged 96 mph with his fastball in the first inning, when he rung up Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper all in a row. From there, he didn’t allow a baserunner until the fourth, when Kyle Tucker dropped a fly ball amid miscommunication with Pages in right-center. 

Unfazed, however, Wrobleski kept on attacking, escaping that threat unscathed en route to retiring seven more in a row –– five of which, once again, came via the strikeout.

“He was on the attack,” Roberts said. “It was just really good to see that performance.”

Only with two outs in the sixth did Wrobleski lose his no-hit bid, when Schwarber walloped his MLB-leading 22nd home run on a low fastball to straightaway center.

“I was pissed when I gave up that hit,” he said.

No matter. He shook it off.

Wrobleski sat down the next four he faced. He got a somewhat early hook after 88 pitches.

It was a surprise exit, but one that did little to dampen the dominance he discovered.

“When you can reach back for 97,” Roberts said, “it makes life a lot easier.”

What it means

The Dodgers (37-20) have won a season-high six games in a row, and are now 13-2 in their last 15 overall.

Of that entire recent stretch, this weekend’s series against the resurgent Phillies (29-28) had loomed as perhaps the trickiest test. Despite a dismal opening month, Philadelphia had gone 20-8 since a managerial change that put former Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly in charge.

Alas, just like in last year’s playoffs, the Dodgers reigned supreme again.

Who’s hot

It’s worth remembering: Before Friday, Wrobleski had the second-lowest rate of strikeouts-per-nine-innings (5.01) of all MLB pitchers with at least 50 innings this season.

Part of that was by design, with Wrobleski purposely trying to fill up the zone to induce soft contact and work quick outs. Part of it, however, had left the third-year pitcher frustrated, as his fastball dipped from 96 mph last year (when he largely pitched out of the bullpen) to 93.7 mph in his return to the rotation this season.

Last week, however, Wrobleski said something finally clicked.

Though he suffered a five-inning, five-run clunker against the Milwaukee Brewers, he finished that game by eclipsing 97 mph for the first time this year.

“I can’t tell you the exact thing,” he said. “I felt just kind of back to normal, and kind of carried into tonight.”

Did it ever.

With his fastball playing up, and his command in the zone executed with aggressive precision, Wrobleski simply overpowered the Phillies’ big-name offense. His fastball alone accounted for 13 swings and misses. He rung up a couple other batters by dotting called third strikes.

“I wouldn’t say it was something that bothered me,” Wrobleski said of his previous velocity dip. “It was just something that was out of the norm for me. Like, I was happy with getting a bunch of outs, but it was weird how the outs were coming. And like I said, like you’re always going to take outs. But yeah, you want a little more swing and miss … And, tonight kind of felt back to normal.”

Who’s not

Those who thought Wrobleski was primed for regression after he’d given up 14 runs in his previous three outings, which had raised his ERA from 1.25 to 3.07.

Those outings, of course, epitomized what could go wrong with Wrobleski’s throw-back style. Softly-hit balls found holes. Rare mistakes were driven out of the ballpark. And when he neeed to escape an inning, it required some help from his defense behind him.

Friday, however, flashed a different side of Wrobleski’s potential –– showcasing his ability to be a power arm when his heater is thrown even slightly harder.

“It just gives him way more margin,” Roberts said. “Early on in his first five, six starts, there were a lot of balls in play, obviously some soft contact, balls at guys. But obviously you’re bringing the fielders into play. Tonight, probably his best outing. When you can take out the fielders and get the swing and miss, the strikeouts like he did, really dominant performance against a really good ball club.”

Up next

The Dodgers and Phillies resume their marquee matchup on Saturday, when Roki Sasaki (3-3, 4.93) will face Philadelphia left-hander Jesús Luzardo (4-4, 4.38).

A high school graduation in Kansas took an unexpected turn when a teacher unexpectedly engaged with students in an awkward manner, insisting on handshakes as they crossed the stage. The incident disrupted the celebratory atmosphere at Wichita High School East on May 20.

As students stepped up to receive their diplomas, a school administrator, whose identity remains undisclosed, was seen physically handling graduates Key Henderson and Serena Gomez, creating an uncomfortable scene.

Footage captured by surprised attendees revealed the administrator forcefully grabbing Henderson after he seemingly bypassed him during the ceremony.

Determined to enforce the handshake, the administrator held onto Henderson until the gesture was completed, only then allowing him to proceed with receiving a piece of paper.

He refused to let him go until he shook his hand before handing him a piece of paper.

Around 20 minutes later, Gomez was grabbed by the staff member as she began to rejoice on stage.

As she raised her hands in the air, the official grabbed them, gripped her wrist and forced her into a handshake, before handing her a card as she walked away. 

Gomez told local outlet KAKE that she felt the administrator’s combativeness ruined her moment and was unnecessary. 

Students at Wichita High School East were were manhandled by a school administrator as they crossed the stage to collect their diplomas on May 20

Video shared by stunned audience members showed the administrator, who has not been named, aggressively grab student Serena Gomez when she began to rejoice on the platform

Gomez she felt the administrator’s combativeness ruined her moment and was unnecessary

Her aunt Sabrina Duran had more choice words for the school official, as she shared the video to social media with the caption: ‘That teacher is a b***h.’

The footage of the graduation confrontation divided opinions as it went viral online.

Some accused the teacher of being overly aggressive, while others said he was simply trying to give each student a handshake and a card. 

In a statement to KAKE, Wichita Public Schools defended the administrator and said the students’ on-stage celebrations were against graduation policies. 

‘There are clear expectations shared with students before the graduation ceremony in order to get all 500 students across the stage in a timely manner so everyone can have their moment to celebrate,’ the statement read.

The Daily Mail has contacted the school district for comment. 

The incidents came as another Wichita high school, South High, was also hit with scandal at its graduation. 

The high school’s graduation on May 21 descended into chaos as around ten students and teenagers launched into fights on the Wichita State University (WSU) campus.

Wichita Public Schools defended the administrator and said the students’ on-stage celebrations were against graduation policies, and said ‘there are clear expectations shared with students before the graduation ceremony.’ Pictured: Wichita School District Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld 

The Wichita school district said the fight happened after most people left Koch Arena, where the graduation had been held earlier in the evening. 

In a statement, WSU said: ‘Wichita State University officers responded to a physical altercation outside of Charles Koch Arena following a local high school graduation. 

‘In an effort to restore order and prevent further escalation, officers intervened. The incident was brief, no arrests were made, and no injuries were reported.’

That incident came just weeks after another fight at Chester Lewis Learning Academy’s commencement ceremony, in the same school district. 

Terrii Moses, Wichita Public Schools Director of Safety and Environmental Services, said after that fight: ‘Anytime you have a large number of people that get together, you have the opportunity for people who don’t get along.

‘Indoor events are much easier to handle, but when you release everybody at the same time, you have the opportunity for people to interact with each other.’ 

‘We’ve staffed all of our graduations, we believe appropriately,’ said Moses. ‘We always debrief and work with our partners to determine better ways that we can provide security.’