The fireworks at Game 2 of the Dodgers-Padres National League Division Series were, to put it mildly, insane. Much of it was the Padres’ fault, of course—how could anyone not be enraged by Fernando Tatis Jr.?—but Dodgers fans also harmed their team’s image, particularly when balls and garbage were hurled on the field. To top it all off, Ken Rosenthal recounted the “Sinister Sling” in an article for The Athletic, prompting his removal from the Padres bench in Game 3.
Manny Machado hit a warmup ball into the Dodgers’ bullpen that was a little too fast and near to Dave Roberts for the Dodgers’ comfort. Roberts labelled it as “unsettling” and said that “there was intent behind it,” and the Dodgers even filed a complaint with MLB, which proved useless. Nothing came of it, no one was reprimanded, and the Dodgers lost 10-2 before dropping Game 3 to fall one game behind San Diego.
However, they responded with a vengeance in Game 4 to defeat the Padres, and during the winner-take-all Game 5, it appeared like the Padres had simply given up and decided to call it quits.
With Game 2 over a week ago and the Dodgers’ NLCS prospects intact, Roberts admitted to purposefully misrepresenting the situation with Machado.
“It was [designed to take the pressure off his own players after their 10-2 loss in Game 2],” he said (subscription needed). “As a manager, you never want it to be about you. In that scenario, I believed it would be useful to relieve some of the weight from our staff. Manny and I have an excellent friendship. I would take him any day. But I don’t think the diversion was a bad thing for our squad. “They responded by having my back.”
Dave Roberts admits to a planned overreaction to the Dodgers-Manny Machado feud during Game 2 of the NLDS.
The funniest part of all of this is that during the initial press conference, when Roberts described the ball-throwing as “unsettling,” he also alluded to a strained relationship with Machado during their time together with the Dodgers, before dismissing that sentiment and complimenting Machado.
Roberts was clearly looking for a way to energize his squad, and while it took two losses to spark the fire, they reacted superbly in Games 4 and 5. They truly demonstrated fire and fight, two attributes that had been sorely lacking in the face of the Padres’ chronic inferiority complex.
If Roberts felt obligated to engage in some weird mind-games as a manager, that’s fantastic. A little bush league, but pretty good.
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