LOS ANGELES — For one night, Dave Roberts was a tactical genius. He pushed all the right buttons to guide the Los Angeles Dodgers through an 18-inning thriller and emerge victorious in Game 3 of the World Series.
But 24 hours later, those same buttons misfired — badly.
On Tuesday night, Roberts’ bullpen management came under heavy scrutiny as the Dodgers stumbled to a 6–2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium, evening the World Series at two games apiece.
The turning point came in the seventh inning. With Los Angeles trailing 2–1 and Shohei Ohtani still pitching effectively, Roberts made the surprising decision to pull his starter after just 93 pitches. Ohtani had allowed only six hits and one walk, and despite having men on second and third with no outs, he didn’t appear to be in serious trouble.
Instead of letting Ohtani work through the jam, Roberts went to left-hander Anthony Banda, who had been shaky throughout the postseason with a 7.36 ERA. The move immediately backfired. Banda surrendered an RBI single to Andres Gimenez to make it 3–1, then allowed another run to score on a groundout by Ty France.
Things went from bad to worse when Roberts turned next to veteran reliever Blake Treinen, who had entered the game with a 9.00 postseason ERA. Treinen gave up consecutive RBI singles to Bo Bichette and Addison Barger, stretching the Blue Jays’ lead to 6–1 and silencing the Dodger Stadium crowd.
“Everyone in the stadium knew what was going to happen when Treinen came in except the guy who brought him in,” Lakers content creator @AnthonyIrwinLA posted on X, capturing the mood of frustrated fans.
The Dodgers’ bullpen had been heavily taxed in the previous game, throwing 13⅓ innings in the marathon Game 3 win. That workload limited Roberts’ available options, but many still questioned his choice to go away from Ohtani — one of the few pitchers who seemed to have something left in the tank.
“I just felt we needed to find a way to get a punchout there,” Roberts said after the game. “We had a pocket of lefties coming up, and I wanted Banda to face them. (Ohtani) gave us a really good effort — he did everything we asked.”
However, the context didn’t help Roberts’ case. Banda had already been tagged for runs earlier in the series and hadn’t shown the kind of form that inspires confidence in high-pressure situations. Pulling Ohtani, arguably the best pitcher on the planet, with the game still within reach only intensified the criticism.
Popular Dodgers fan account @BlakeHHarris summed up the sentiment succinctly: “I just don’t know how you even think of going to Treinen in this situation with the game still in reach.”
Before the seventh-inning unraveling, Ohtani had mostly contained a powerful Toronto lineup. His lone big mistake came in the third inning, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a two-run homer to give the Blue Jays a 2–1 lead. Ohtani’s fastball had life, his command was sharp, and he seemed to have plenty left — until Roberts made the call that changed everything.
The Dodgers’ offense didn’t help much either, managing just two runs on seven hits. Aside from a solo homer in the second inning, Los Angeles couldn’t capitalize on scoring opportunities against Toronto starter Kevin Gausman, who struck out nine over six innings.
By the time the bullpen meltdown ended, the game — and much of the crowd’s energy — had evaporated. The Dodgers now find themselves in a precarious position heading into Game 5.
Roberts announced that Blake Snell will take the mound Wednesday night, opposing Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage in a rematch of Game 1. Snell took the loss in that game after allowing five runs in five innings, while Yesavage exited after four innings of two-run ball.
For the Dodgers, the challenge now extends beyond winning Game 5. They need to restore confidence — both in their bullpen and in Roberts’ decision-making. October has often magnified Roberts’ managerial gambles, and Tuesday night’s choices will likely join a growing list of postseason controversies surrounding him.
Despite the blowout, Roberts stood by his thought process. “You’ve got to trust your guys,” he said. “We’ve leaned on Shohei a lot. Banda’s been ready, Treinen’s been there before. It just didn’t work tonight.”
Unfortunately for Roberts and the Dodgers, “it just didn’t work” has been a recurring theme in recent Octobers. As the World Series shifts toward its decisive stretch, Los Angeles will need more than just talent — they’ll need the right calls from their manager to avoid another postseason heartbreak.