Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that he was engaging in some mind games during the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres.
After his team secured a win in Game 5 of the NLDS, Roberts admitted that his critical remarks about Manny Machado following Game 2 were deliberate, intended to shift focus away from his players. He praised Machado and indicated that his exaggerated reaction was meant to make that incident the main topic instead of his team’s performance.
“It was. It was,” Roberts confirmed when asked if his response was intentional, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “As a manager, you never want to make it about you. But I just felt in that situation, if we could take it off our guys a little bit … Manny and I have a really good relationship. I would take him any day. But I don’t think that diversion was a bad thing for our guys. And they responded by having my back.”
After the Padres‘ 10-2 victory in Game 2, Roberts accused Machado of deliberately throwing a ball at him during the game, labeling the incident as “unsettling” and “disrespectful.” However, video later suggested that the event was not as serious as Roberts implied. It appears he was aware of this all along.
Machado’s actions became the focal point leading into Game 3, so from that perspective, Roberts’ strategy was successful. Nevertheless, the Dodgers lost that game, and interest in the incident had subsided before a crucial Game 4. Despite the pressure, the Dodgers went on to win Game 4 decisively and then defeated the Padres at Dodger Stadium in Game 5.
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