Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts found himself at the center of postseason debate once again after his decision to pull Blake Snell following eight dominant innings in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The move, which came with the Dodgers holding a narrow 2-0 lead, instantly set social media on fire and left many wondering why Roberts wouldnât let his ace finish the game.Â
Roberts pulled Blake Snell, who pitched eight shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and only one hit, for Roki Sasaki to start the bottom of the 9th inning.Â
As Clutch Points noted, Roberts stood by his decision after the game, calling it a difficult but calculated choice:Â
âIt was a tough call,â Roberts told reporters. âBlake was fantastic, but weâre thinking about the big picture â not just tonight, but the rest of the series. He was at 103 pitches, and with how Rokiâs been throwing in the ninth lately, it felt like the right move. Plus, if weâre looking at getting Blake back on regular rest for Game 5, that factored in as well.â
Roberts emphasized that he trusted Sasakiâs recent success in these types of high-pressure moments.Â
Dodgers Survive Roberts Controversial DecisionÂ
Snell had completely silenced the Brewersâ offense through eight innings. It felt like he was literally unhittable.Â
But Roberts followed his data-driven mentality, which includes a blend of workload management, matchup analysis, and bullpen trust that has defined his entire managerial career.Â
After issuing a walk and surrendering a ground-rule double, Sasaki allowed a sacrifice fly that cut the lead to 2-1. With two outs in the inning, he then put Christian Yelich on base with another walk.Â
With Sasaki not having his best stuff today, Roberts called upon veteran reliever Blake Treinen who has been really struggling with an 8.18 ERA this postseason.Â
However, Treinen responded under pressure, striking out Bryce Turang to secure the Dodgersâ Game 1 win.
Blake Snellâs DominanceÂ
Blake Snellâs performance tonight was one of the all-time great pitching performances in Dodgers history.Â
So far this postseason, Snell has only allowed two runs in 21 innings. In his three starts, he has only allowed six total hits and has struck out at least nine in each game.
This stretch of dominance is simply unheard of.Â
Snellâs dominant 2025 campaign in which he had a 2.35 regular season ERA is being capped off by an incredible postseason run.
He said he came to the Dodgers to win a world series, and he is sure doing everything in his power to make that happen.Â
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