In the crucible of a must-win game against Philadelphia, Dave Roberts faced a decision that could define the Dodgers’ postseason fate. With Blake Snell at 107 pitches and two runners on base, the manager walked to the mound ready to make a change. What happened next revealed both the pitcher’s fierce determination and the manager’s growing trust in his ace over his struggling bullpen.

Snell’s conviction in that seventh-inning moment stemmed from a simple philosophy that has defined his career. “I don’t like the bullpen finishing my innings,” Snell declared after striking out Otto Kemp to escape the jam. “I’m very adamant about that. I don’t want them in that situation. I put myself in this; I can pitch my way out of it.” The left-hander had already thrown 107 pitches when he walked Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler consecutively, creating the exact scenario that typically triggers a hook from Roberts.

Insider Harry Ruiz captured the drama perfectly, on Locked on Dodgers, describing how Snell’s face told the entire story. “And you could see it all over Snell’s face last night. I absolutely loved it,” Ruiz observed. “Dave Roberts actually tried to take him out of the game when Snell walked Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler with two outs in the seventh inning. Dave went out to the mound. Snell made his case, and he stayed in the game even with Alex Vesia already making his way onto the field.”

Ruiz also took a dig at how the bullpen is pitching and agreed with Snell’s decision to continue pitching. “Hell no. You like the way that the bullpen is pitching. No. No chance in hell. Why would you give up the opportunity to get another win? You had been out there for nearly seven complete innings.” 

Fellow insider Travis Rodgers offered a different perspective on the exchange, suggesting Roberts wanted to be convinced. “I’m taking nothing away from what Snell said or anything else, but I don’t think he had to fight very hard to do it. I think that Dave wanted to be talked out of it. I don’t think he wanted to go down into that bullpen unless he absolutely had to,” Rodgers explained.

Roberts’ postgame comments validated both interpretations while revealing the depth of his decision-making process. “He was adamant he wanted that last hitter, and I trusted him. And he finished him off the right way. Just a huge boost for us,” the manager admitted. Roberts emphasized the magnitude of Snell’s complete performance: “Just a great performance from pitch one. We needed this one. And he delivered.”

The manager’s trust proved decisive as Snell delivered his 12th strikeout of the night, capping a season-high 112-pitch effort that preserved a crucial shutout. With the Dodgers clinging to just a 3-0 lead and facing potential elimination from playoff contention, this moment of faith between pitcher and manager became the turning point that maintained their two-game division lead over San Diego.

While Snell’s heroic seventh-inning stand captured headlines this week, another story quietly unfolded that will reshape Los Angeles Dodgers history forever.

Dodgers Legend Clayton Kershaw Calls It a Career

The baseball world absorbed shocking news when Clayton Kershaw announced his retirement after this season. The 37-year-old southpaw is calling it quits after 18 remarkable years that saw him evolve from a skinny Dallas kid into a Dodgers legend.

The numbers tell an incredible story of sustained excellence. Kershaw reached the exclusive 3,000 strikeout club this July, joining an elite group that few pitchers ever achieve. His 2.54 career ERA is the highest of any active player and the 47th in baseball history. Three Cy Youngs and two World Series championships do not occur by chance, but by one pitcher who has redefined the meaning of elite performance.

Those are the peak seasons of 2011 to 2014 when Kershaw presented himself in his purest form. His 2014 season was white magic, especially his no-hitter and some of the more overwhelming performances of pitching he has ever seen. He accumulated 222 wins throughout his career, though persistent back problems prevented even more spectacular achievements.

Kershaw’s impact extends far beyond statistics and hardware. Eleven All-Star selections and six top-three Cy Young finishes demonstrate the consistent greatness that modern baseball rarely produces. He arrived as an unproven draft selection and departed as the most celebrated pitcher in recent Dodger history.