Dave Roberts described on July 21, 2026, how the Los Angeles Dodgers won a tight game against the Philadelphia Phillies, capped by a game-ending double play triggered by a Phillies base-running error. "Fortunately JT made an uncharacteristic uh base running mistake and fortunately Muki uh threw a dart to second base," Roberts said during a press conference.
Roberts detailed the final sequence, noting that Max Muncy secured the throw and understood the tying run was heading home. Per the relations described, Muncy secured and threw out Justin Crawford, while Mookie Betts threw out Brandon Marsh at second base. "Max did a great job securing the baseball, understood that the tying run was going home and secured it," Roberts noted.
Roberts also praised the pitching matchup, calling it a battle between two all-star arms despite difficult mound conditions. He credited Evan Phillips for bouncing back with a scoreless inning after allowing a home run in a recent game in New York, and said Tanner Scott also worked a clean inning to close things out. Justin Robleski pitched into the seventh inning and got Marsh out before handing the game to the bullpen, which went from Robleski to Phillips and then to Scott. Roberts added that Robleski had struck out a lot of hitters over his last three starts, and stated that Robleski threw 89 pitches in the outing.
Asked whether the pitch count factored into pulling Robleski, Roberts confirmed it did. "89 pitches, I think, was it. Um was that kind of a function of that? >> That was it," Roberts explained, describing the decision as a deliberate move to manage Robleski's workload. He also pointed to Robleski's ability to change eye levels, speeds, and locations as what kept Phillies hitters off balance, and called him an all-star who "wins" games, adding there is more room for him to grow after the All-Star break.
Roberts pointed to a missed scoring chance when Shohei Ohtani's single-turned-double attempt failed to bring in a run, and emphasized the need to win close games without giving away outs. "That was a playoff environment, you know, I think that you can tell um how bad we wanted it, how bad they wanted it," Roberts said, describing the intensity of the contest. He summarized the broader challenge simply: "Long season, you got to find a way to win baseball games and not try to give them away."