PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers found a way on Friday night in Philadelphia. They fell behind early, settled in behind Shohei Ohtani, and then let the late innings breathe. A two-run double from Kiké Hernández and a go-ahead blast from Teoscar Hernández flipped the game. After a 5–3 win in Game One, Dave Roberts walked through the choices and the tone of his clubhouse.
“He’s essentially two people in one night, in one game,” Roberts said of Ohtani. “To look at the at bats he took and how he struggled offensively, but to separate that and just be a pitcher and weather that three-run inning, then go out there and give us six innings and keep us in the ballgame, I just don’t know any human that can manage that.”
“I felt he was just getting better as the night went on,” Roberts added when asked why he stayed with Ohtani after the early trouble. “I felt he was the best option and nothing I was seeing showed a drop off. If he could chew up a couple more innings it would help us tonight and in the games going forward.”
“After six I felt the stress, the first playoff game, all that,” he said. “His job was done, but I felt really confident in him getting through six for us.”
The bullpen plan came into focus once the starter handed it off. “I felt good with Glasnow in some capacity, given he’s going to start a potential Game Four,” Roberts said. “I felt good about Vesia in some capacity tonight, and with Roki I just felt that lane right there made sense. I could have gone to a couple other guys, but knowing who I’ve got, I felt good about those guys we were running out there.”
“There was a scenario where if Tyler’s second inning had been cleaner, I was thinking about running him back out there,” Roberts said. “There was a walk, then the Harper grounder, then another walk. I had to make a decision, and Alex is used to coming into spots.”
The manager was asked about the Realmutro triple that skipped past right field. “I’ve got to look at it again,” Roberts said. “I would argue that he wasn’t not trying. You don’t want Realmuto to have a triple in short right field. But on that Harper ball he made the adjustment himself with Dino to cheat to the line to guard against a hanger. He did a good job getting that ball in, and then with the three strikeouts to come up with a huge hit and keep that out of his mind was huge for us.”
“He’s not always going to be perfect,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s night as a whole. “Him giving up the three and still going out there to give us six innings was huge. It’s a quality start for him. He gets the win.”
“This team does it a lot,” Roberts continued. “Different guys pick each other up. Tommy continues to do his thing, Andy after getting robbed gets a big hit to start an inning, Alex Call when called upon takes two good at bats, and we got Will Smith in the game and he gets on base. Everyone collectively. And you get a starter who’s never come out of the pen and he comes out and gives us a solid effort. Great team win.”
On Teoscar Hernández’s late surge, Roberts pointed to a switch he sensed weeks ago. “It started after that series in Colorado,” he said. “That’s when he really turned it on. He said he had to be better. He had to play better defense and dial up the offense, and the offense really ratcheted up in September.”
Asked about Kiké’s October knack, Roberts nodded. “That’s applicable to every postseason,” he said. “The numbers don’t lie. In the postseason he just performs. He had a good last three or four games to finish the season, and once the postseason hits, he ratchets it up a couple levels.”
Roberts also explained a small ninth-inning detail that set up the finish. “I was just trying to buy a little more time for Roki,” he said. “They put Wilson in for Sosa. I knew they probably couldn’t hit for Kepler. I was weighing whether Vesia goes back out there with (Blake) Treinen behind him, and ultimately I decided to go with Roki. We just needed to buy some more time.”
Will Smith got back on the field and passed an important test. “Behind the plate he was great,” Roberts said. “Sánchez pitched him tough that first at bat, then he got the hit by pitch, and then you’ve got to face Durán. It was good to get him in there, get his feet wet, get him back in the game.”
As for Game Two, the catching plan remains flexible. “It’s still up in the air,” Roberts said. “We might run the same playbook or we could start him, but for me it’s about seeing how he comes in tomorrow.”
The final word from the manager matched the tone of the night. “We continue to witness history,” he said of Ohtani’s balancing act. “You’ve got to make pitches, you’ve got to sequence, and then let the next guy take it. Guys did their jobs, and we finished the game.”
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