Dodgers Interview: Doc talks late-inning heroics in Arizona
"They just don't quit."
PHOENIX– After a rollercoaster of a game in Phoenix, the Dodgers came out on top Friday night, roaring back with a six-run ninth inning to beat the Diamondbacks, 14–11. For manager Dave Roberts, it wasn’t just a win—it was a testament to his team’s resolve.
“They don’t quit, we don’t quit,” Roberts said postgame. “It was good to see us persevere tonight.”
The Dodgers had blown an early lead, and by the bottom of the eighth, the Diamondbacks seemed poised to take their second straight game of the series. But the Dodgers weren’t done. Freddie Freeman punched a single through the right side. Kiké Hernández followed with a big hit. Then Max Muncy, then Andy Pages. One by one, they chipped away. “It just kind of kept going,” Roberts said. “Muny had a big hit right there, Pages, and it was just really fun to watch us just continue to fight.”
Roberts didn’t shy away from criticizing the pitching, which gave up 11 runs and struggled to hold multiple leads. “Obviously, we didn’t pitch well tonight,” he said. “But I thought the defense was sound. There was no quit in our ball club.” The Dodgers were staring at the possibility of dropping the first two games of the series. Instead, they now have a shot to go up in the series with Dustin May on the mound Saturday. “Potentially losing the first two games of the series, now having a chance to win Game 3 tomorrow—we’re in a pretty good spot.”
He admitted that his emotions were running high during the game’s low points. “I wasn’t happy after eight innings,” he said bluntly. “I just felt that the offense did enough to win the game at that point in time. And to not pitch well, it’s frustrating. That just kind of puts other guys in the game, and you’re trying to win ensuing games as well.”
Still, the ninth inning turned things around—and quickly. “It happened fast, didn’t it?” Roberts said. “We were ready to hit. We’ve seen Ginkel a lot over the years, and we just took some good at-bats.”
When Shohei Ohtani crushed the go-ahead homer, he let out a rare display of emotion rounding the bases. Roberts understood the release. “I think it’s all of the above,” he said, referring to the tension, the division rivalry, and the significance of the moment. “You have a game, and you feel good about it. You’re playing a division rival. They’re starting to gain momentum in the series. We fight our way back and we take the lead with a big homer. He sees his teammates fighting, guys trying to keep us in the ballgame. That was kind of the climax of that moment.”
As for pitching coach Mark Prior’s ejection during a heated inning, Roberts said, “Yeah, he was frustrated—and the thing is, all the guys are. They’re doing their best, and Eric [Bacchus] was doing his best, but there were some pitches that swung counts. Certainly, that Luis Garcia at-bat to Suarez changed that inning and the scoreboard. So it gets emotional for all of us.”
Roberts also made a point to support both Prior and the umpire afterward. “I did [go out to talk]. I was trying to diffuse it a little bit. I just wanted to support Mark but understand where Eric was coming from.”
Asked whether this game felt like more than just a random win in May, Roberts didn’t hesitate. “It does,” he said. “The series is level now. As opposed to being down 0-2 in the series and those guys are feeling really good with Burns going tomorrow, we’re in a better position. I think our bullpen is in a really good spot considering how the game went.”
He wasn’t thrilled with Rōki Sasaki’s outing, which included zero strikeouts over 20 batters faced. “He was laboring from the outset,” Roberts said. “You could tell. Guys were taking really good swings. He didn’t have anything to put guys away. I just felt that it wasn’t a rest situation. I just don’t think he was particularly sharp tonight—commanding the fastball, the split, all that stuff.”
When asked how Sasaki might work on getting more swing-and-miss next time out, Roberts explained, “It’s all dependent on the sequencing and how you get to two strikes. He got to a lot of two-strike counts. One classic case was the 0-2 to 4-2 to Marte in the fifth inning. You get count leverage, and you’ve got to be able to wipe guys out. Tonight, he just couldn’t do it.”
Despite the rocky pitching and emotional outbursts, Roberts emphasized what Ohtani’s presence means on a team like this. “Between him and Barry Bonds, that’s the two best players I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I played with Barry, but what Sho does in the clutch—I’ve never seen anything like it.”
For Roberts and the Dodgers, it wasn’t just about the numbers on the scoreboard. Friday night was about fight, belief, and finding a way. And with the series now tied, they’ve got a chance to finish it off on a high note Saturday and Sunday.
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