Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES — You either have to laugh or cry. Saturday night’s blowout loss to the Cubs may have been one to forget for the Dodgers, but thanks to Miguel Rojas, the final innings delivered some unexpected entertainment.
With the team trailing 16–0 in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium, the veteran infielder took the mound for his fifth career pitching appearance—all of them with the Dodgers in the last three seasons. While his pitching stats didn’t shine (two innings, seven hits, five earned runs), Rojas provided a much-needed dose of levity on a night when the team was handed its worst shutout loss at home in franchise history.
Dodgers fans watching closely might have done a double take. Was that Yamamoto? Sasaki? Kershaw? No—just Rojas, playfully mimicking his pitching teammates’ distinctive styles in a lighthearted homage.
Wearing Yamamoto’s No. 18 glove, Rojas mimicked the right-hander’s subtle ball-fidgeting and deliberate windup pause. He also threw in Landon Knack’s lean and glove placement, then copied Clayton Kershaw’s classic hands-above-head routine before dropping into Roki Sasaki’s signature high-kick delivery. The broadcast booth couldn’t contain its laughter.
“He’s going through the whole staff!” exclaimed play-by-play announcer Joe Davis mid-game.
Manager Dave Roberts appreciated the gesture, both for the comedic relief and the practical benefit. “It gave us two innings, which we really needed,” Roberts said. “And I think a little levity in a game like that is certainly helpful.”
Even Rojas admitted Sasaki’s motion was tough to pull off. “It was really uncomfortable. I don’t know how Roki brings that leg up like that,” he said after the game. “I probably should’ve just stuck with Yamamoto and Knack.”
While his ERA climbed to 10.50, Rojas can proudly say he played a whole rotation on TV—and gave Dodgers fans something to smile about on a rough night at the ballpark.
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