Dodgers Interview: Rojas on the biggest swing of his life
“I just put a really good swing on it… and the ball cleared the wall”
TORONTO — The cheers from Dodger fans still filled Rogers Centre as Miguel Rojas stepped in front of the camera and tried to explain the swing that flipped Game 7. Teammates call him the big brother, the glue. On this night the game handed him the microphone and a memory that will live forever. He spoke about the at-bat, about faith at home, and about a season that stretched from Tokyo to Toronto. It wasn’t quite “Bucky F*cking Dent,” but it was close.
“To be honest, after a long battle, all I wanted to do was hit the ball up the middle and get on base for Sho,” Rojas said. “I wanted a good pitch to hit. Fouling off that last fastball gave me confidence to wait for the ball, and he handed me a slider down and in, where I do damage. I put a really good swing on it. The ball cleared the wall. I didn’t know how, but when I was running the bases I was so happy.”
He said the moment had been chasing him for days. “I had a conversation with my wife for a couple days,” he said. “She told me something big was waiting for me. What could be more special than this?”
Asked what the title means with this specific group, Rojas leaned into the story of two long years. “You’re a back-to-back World Series champion. Legacy cemented with this group of players,” interviewer David Vassegh said. Rojas answered without polishing the edges. “Yeah, this is legacy now, because we didn’t do it the easiest way,” he said. “It took us the long work and a lot of sacrifice. What the Dodgers have been doing for baseball the last two years is remarkable. Everybody should be really happy and really proud of us.”
He pushed back at the easy narrative that talent alone carried them. “I know everybody says we run baseball because we’ve got so much talent,” Rojas said. “But how about starting the year last year in Korea, this year in Japan, playing the longest season ever for a team that has to play—counting spring training, counting all the games in the regular season, Sunday Night Baseball. I feel like they ask for L.A., and we were in this moment for a reason.”
He looped back once more to the ninth-inning swing that sent the series into extra innings and changed the arc of the night. “I was just trying to get on base for Sho,” Rojas said. “I waited for the ball, got the slider down and in, and put a good swing on it.” He let the grin finish the sentence. “The ball cleared the wall.”
Dave Roberts interrupted the interview “Big hero!” he said, giving Rojas a huge hug. “Talking about leaving every single ounce of your body and being heart and soul on the field. This is what this guy did!”
Rojas waved him off, then let a final line hang in the air like the ball he launched to left. “Everybody should be proud,” he said. “We earned this.”
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
