“Your defense, no errors, incredible defense,” Alex Rodriguez told Dave Roberts on FOX’s postgame show after the Dodgers eliminated the Braves on Wednesday.
Los Angeles won 4–1 in Game 4 at Truist Park and claimed the NLDS 3–1. Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz discussed Roberts’ roster decisions and the pitching that carried the Dodgers into the NLCS.
Rodriguez’s comment came as he asked how Roberts judged when to use Kiké Hernández, who hit a two-run homer in Game 3. Roberts described knowing his players and deciding when to trust them or choose another option.
“I see how you get along with your players,” Ortiz said, asking Roberts how he had built those relationships. Roberts credited lessons from his former managers and emphasized putting players in position to succeed.
Jeter asked how much pressure the rotation took off Roberts, with Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow starting the four games. Roberts said it did not make managing easy, but he preferred that rotation to relying on bullpen games.
Kevin Burkhardt later asked Jeter how the Dodgers should celebrate an early-round victory while pursuing a third consecutive championship. Jeter said reaching this stage becomes harder every year and the celebration recognizes the regular season as well as the postseason.
“You have to celebrate these moments,” he said.
Source: FOX Sports’ October 7 Game 4 postgame segment (20:05). This report draws on the full timestamped transcript of the edited broadcast segment.
