After a disastrous 2025 season that included a $72 million contract, a high ERA, and a season-ending medical emergency, Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tanner Scott has experienced a significant turnaround in 2026. His performance has improved dramatically, leading to a resurgence in his career and an unexpected, internet-born nickname.
Scott, who is in his 10th year as a reliever, has seen his ERA more than halved, standing at 2.28 entering Friday. He is unexpectedly leading the team in saves with an 18-for-20 record, a role that was anticipated for new signing Edwin Díaz before his injury struggles. Manager Dave Roberts has called Scott "our most consistent reliever, by far."
The nickname "BBL" originated from online communities, a joke referencing Scott's season-ending abscess issue from the previous fall and his subsequent transformation. Initially a niche internet meme, the acronym gained wider attention when team broadcaster Stephen Nelson, referencing Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh's nickname, commented on Scott by saying, "It’s the Big Dumper... against BBL: Big Bad Lefty, Tanner Scott."
This commentary caught the attention of Dodgers players, including relief pitcher Evan Phillips, a close friend of Scott. "There's some backstory to the Twitter world, the meme world," Phillips said. "It's amazing."
Phillips even commissioned T-shirts with the "BBL" moniker, with the letters spelling out "Big Bad Lefty" in a crossword pattern. The accompanying images often depict Scott in his pitching wind-up, highlighting his physique. Scott has taken the attention in stride, describing it as "fun" and acknowledging that his wife has found novelty t-shirts referencing the joke. He has even poked fun at himself on social media, captioning a photo of himself holding the World Series trophy with "Put everything BEHIND me," accompanied by a peach emoji.
Roberts noted that Scott's ability to not dwell on past struggles and to avoid letting "noise affect him" has been crucial to his turnaround. This season, after mechanical adjustments addressed issues that caused him to miss the middle of the plate, Scott has rediscovered his "inner confidence."
With Edwin Díaz back on the injured list, Scott has an opportunity to re-establish himself as the team's primary closer. He recently secured a four-out save on Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies and followed it with a scoreless 10th-inning save to complete a series sweep over the Rockies on Wednesday. Phillips suggested that Scott's bounce-back season is giving new meaning to the "BBL" nickname, signifying his return. "Baseball is a game of really tiny adjustments and subjectivity and nuance," Phillips quipped, "But just his ability to show up each day and get after it and do what he does, that’s part of what makes him so good."
![Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips wears a "BBL" T-shirt he ordered to commemorate teammate Tanner Scott's new nickname.]( "Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips wears a "BBL" T-shirt he ordered to commemorate teammate Tanner Scott's new nickname.")
