LOS ANGELES — Tuesday night’s high-stakes battle between the Dodgers and Padres had everything you’d expect from a brewing rivalry—home runs, high emotions, hit-by-pitches, and, yes, an ejection. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts found himself tossed in the top of the seventh inning after questioning the umpiring crew’s decision to issue warnings following Shohei Ohtani being hit by a pitch.
After the Dodgers ultimately held on for an emotional 8–6 win, Roberts spoke to reporters about the incident and his frustration with what he saw as a lack of fairness and common sense.
“Just to give an overview,” Roberts began, “Andy Pages was hit last night. I felt he overreacted, but we moved on. Then we hit Tatis—it was unintentional. We’re certainly not trying to put a guy like that on base ahead of the middle of their order.”
But when Padres starter Randy Vasquez missed with one pitch to Ohtani and then drilled him on the next with first base open, Roberts had seen enough.
“Shohei comes up, base open, and Vasquez took one shot at him and then hit him again,” Roberts said. “It’s very hard to miss that bad with a right-handed pitcher. If you’re going to do it, own it. There’s no misfire there. If they feel that’s warranted on their side, part of baseball, if that’s what they feel, and I give them credit because they hit him in the leg, own it and we move on. But it’s not a misfire. I do feel it was intentional. And again, that’s part of baseball, which we all understand.”
Roberts didn’t storm the field or go into a rage. He said he simply wanted a clear explanation from the umpiring crew about their decision to issue warnings and their process moving forward.
“I didn’t come in hot,” Roberts said. “I just wanted to know why they issued [the warning]. I wanted an explanation of their thought process.”
But instead of getting clarity, Roberts got tossed. “I realized later that I got tossed, which I didn’t understand or appreciate,” he said. “Then I see Mike Shildt [Padres manager] get the opportunity to talk to the umpires after I was tossed, and he stays in the game.”
That inconsistency stuck with Roberts more than anything else.
“I think what anyone wants is consistency,” he emphasized. “I’m very big on common sense. For me, if you’re going to issue warnings, I should be allowed to ask about the thought process behind it. That’s all I wanted.”
Roberts acknowledged that hit-by-pitches are part of the game and even said he could respect it—if it was owned.
“If they feel that’s warranted on their side, part of baseball, own it and move on,” Roberts said. “But it’s not a misfire. Absolutely, I believe it was intentional.”
Despite watching most of the second half from his office, Roberts had high praise for how his team responded, particularly for the efforts of catcher Will Smith and centerfielder Andy Pages.
“Guys laid it out there,” he said. “Will had a huge night. Andy had a huge night. Big defensive plays. It was a fun game—unfortunately, I had to watch it from the office.”
Roberts shared that he watched the game with clubhouse manager Alex Torres and even got into the spirit of the moment.
“I might’ve made my first home run call of the season,” he laughed, referring to Smith’s towering solo shot. “That at-bat, the way he locked in—it could be up there for at-bat of the season.”
Pages, who went 4-for-4 with two homers, including the game-tying blast after Ohtani was hit, also caught Roberts’ eye.
“Whether he was more motivated or not after last night, I don’t know,” Roberts said. “But whatever it was, he had a big night. It’s been fun watching Andy play baseball.”
The Dodgers will send young righty Emmett Sheehan to the mound Wednesday for the series finale, with Justin Wrobleski expected to follow in bulk relief. And yes, Tanner Scott was used for a third straight game Tuesday—something Roberts hadn’t planned but felt was worth the risk.
“If it called for it to win a game in a big spot, he was going to be available,” Roberts said. “He takes care of himself, and it’s been well worth it.”
When asked if playing the Padres so many times in such a short stretch has added fuel to the fire, Roberts didn’t deny it.
“That’s probably fair,” he said. “These games are meaningful, and when you get familiar with an opponent, emotions come with it.”
Despite his frustrations, Roberts ended on a high note. His team had won a gritty, emotionally charged game and done so without losing their cool—at least not as much as their manager.
“Mark [Prior] and Danny [Lehmann] did a fantastic job from the bench managing the pen,” Roberts said. “Huge win for us.”
It may not have gone exactly how he drew it up, but Tuesday night was vintage Dodgers: tough, unified, and resilient—with or without their skipper in the dugout.
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