Dodgers Interview: Doc Discusses Fallout from Game 6 victory
TORONTO — Game 6 ended with a heartbeat check at Rogers Centre and Dave Roberts came to the podium sounding steady. The Dodgers won 3–1, forced Game 7, and turned the page within minutes. He called the bottom of the ninth “wow,” then kept circling back to choices that matched the moment: who pitched, who played, and why.
He opened with the only certainty anyone wanted to hear. “Glas will be available,” Roberts said, referring to Tyler Glasnow, who secured the last two outs on just three pitches. “Everyone will be available.” When pressed on who the starter might be, he kept it simple: “TBD.” He clarified one boundary. “Not Yamamoto,” he said, drawing a clear line after six intense innings from his Game 6 winner.
The ninth inning demanded fast decisions. Roberts walked through it pitch by pitch. “He gets 0–2 to Kirk and hits him with the split,” he said. “Then Barger gets a fastball, good piece of hitting. From that point I felt Roki wasn’t as sharp and we needed some swing and miss. Glas was the guy.” He had Tyler Glasnow hot “kind of looming,” and the move gave him the power arm he wanted. The popup was “huge,” and the final liner to left became the night’s last test.
Justin Dean’s quick signal on the ball stuck in the wall mattered. Roberts credited the awareness while noting the oddity of the rule. “As the rule is current, you want to play that ball and you can go back and replay the lodged ball,” he said. “But he was aware it was lodged and the outfield umpire blew it dead. It worked out great. Certainly good awareness.”
He liked the lineup bets he made and said so. “I was happy with the changes,” Roberts said. “First off, Miggy played the heck out of second base and made some huge plays. We were hoping for that kind of energy infusion. We got that from Miggy.” He highlighted the game-ending relay as well. “The Kik play, the double play, the in-between ball from Kike to Miggy to end it was huge.” On moving Mookie Betts to the four spot, Roberts framed it as fit more than punishment. “I felt that’s the best way to win,” he said. “We talked about late in the game coming to him a little bit and he got a huge hit for us.”
Asked if he ever considered pushing Betts farther down or sitting him, Roberts did not blink. “He’s one of our guys and I’m going to ride or die with him,” he said. “Putting him in the four slows things down and lets the game come to him. I’m not going to run from Mookie Betts. He’s too good of a player.”
Shohei Ohtani’s role in Game 7 is still on the table, and Roberts left every door cracked. “It’s a possibility,” he said when asked if Ohtani could start. On whether starting is more likely than relief, he repeated: “It’s a possibility. We’re not certain.” He added that the staff was “close to a decision” after gauging Ohtani’s preference. The calendar would be unusual, but the stakes rule the day. “I am confident,” Roberts said. “We all are. This is Game 7. There are a lot of things people haven’t done and you’ve got to trust your players and try to win a baseball game.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto got his manager’s nod for poise and execution, even if the leash was shorter than the complete game in Toronto the first time. “He was very good,” Roberts said. “He gets out of that sixth. I wanted to give Wrobo a clean inning and I didn’t feel great about someone cleaning up his mess in the seventh.” The handoff to Justin Wrobleski was about shape and matchups. “It’s a different look and I trust him,” Roberts said. “He was the right guy for that part of the order.”
When the last swing of the game sent a flare off Andrés Giménez’s bat, Roberts admitted he turned fan for a beat. “Stay up in the air,” he said of the thought that ran through his mind. Then he lit up talking about Kiké Hernández. “Kiké just gets great jumps,” Roberts said. “He’s one of my favorite players to watch. One of the headiest players I’ve been around. The awareness to get to his arm, get the ball into second base. Heck of a baseball player. Heck of a play.”
As for the full staff puzzle on Friday, the board is crowded by design. Roberts would not lock himself into names, but he confirmed broad availability. “Glasnow is a possibility to pitch tomorrow,” he said, then added with a grin that “they’re all possibilities.” The one rule he set earlier remains: “Not Yamamoto.”
He closed with the same tone that’s carried him through the week. “I feel great,” Roberts said. “We’re going to leave it out there. I don’t think the pressure or the moment is going to be too big for us. We’ve got to go out there and win one baseball game. We’ve done that all year.” Then he allowed a little hint of anticipation. “I couldn’t be more excited to get to sleep and wake up to play a baseball game tomorrow.”
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