Dodgers Interview: Roberts basks in beatdown of Bombers
"Just what the doctor ordered"
LOS ANGELES — After the Dodgers unloaded on the Yankees in an 18–2 blowout Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, manager Dave Roberts—who celebrated his birthday with the lopsided win—could finally exhale. “Yeah, just what the doctor ordered,” he said postgame with a grin. “That was a good one. Now I can enjoy some dinner.” The Dodgers built on the momentum of Friday night’s 10-run outburst with an even more emphatic showing, punishing Yankees starter Will Weaver early and never letting up. “What we did offensively last night, we just took it into today,” Roberts said. “Beat the starter. I thought we did a good job of getting to the fastball, just kind of keeping the line moving, taking really good at-bats… swinging at strikes, taking balls.”
The Dodgers’ barrage of base hits was backed by a strong outing from rookie Landon Knack, who delivered six innings of one-run ball, striking out five while keeping New York off balance. “Landon to get through six and be able to pitch with a lead was also big to help us reset the pen,” Roberts noted. “It’s not always easy to pitch with a big lead,” he added, crediting catcher Will Smith and pitching coach Mark Prior for their roles in the game plan. “He’s growing… getting his pitch count up, giving us length. A few days ago we were looking at where our pen was at—now, looking at this stretch, it’s guys like Landon and the other guys that are helping us.” When asked if this felt like the kind of game that could spark the team, Roberts agreed: “It does. You know, the last couple weeks have certainly been a grind with all the stuff we’ve been going through… maybe it took a club like the Yankees to get us to reset and step our game up.”
Roberts also took time to praise individual performances, starting with Max Muncy, who not only broke out of a slump but hit a milestone. “He did,” Roberts said when asked if Muncy needed a night like this. “It’s been a tough one to start, but I give him a lot of credit. He hasn’t wavered from the work. He hasn’t run from the criticisms. He’s showing up every day to play and help us win a ball game.” Muncy’s 200th career home run was a three-run blast, but Roberts pointed out his first-inning opposite-field RBI single as just as important: “That was a huge hit.”
Doc also highlighted the contributions of Hyeseong Kim, who homered, made an amazing double play in the infield, and later in the game fired a rocket to nail Aaron Judge at second as the Yankees slugger tried to stretch a hard-hit single into a double. “There’s just something about him—that youthful enthusiasm, that joy,” Roberts said. “He’s just happy to be out there… and guys feed off that energy.” Despite a language barrier, Roberts said Kim’s teammates have embraced him: “It’s baseball—just that baseball language. I don’t know how they communicate, but they talk.”
Asked if the dominant performance felt like a statement, Roberts downplayed the notion: “No, I wouldn’t say statement. That’s a good club over there. I’m just happy with the process and how we’re taking the field and going about playing baseball.” Still, the manager couldn’t deny the satisfaction of routing a historic rival on national television. “It always feels good to beat the Yankees,” he said with a chuckle. “They’re the class of the American League right now. Anytime you can beat those guys, you feel good.”
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