NL WILDCARD GAME: DODGERS VS CARDINALS

October 6, 2021

Dave Roberts

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Postgame Press Conference

Dodgers - 3, Cardinals - 1

DAVE ROBERTS: It's exciting. I think first and foremost to get through this one elimination game, it took us actually our entire roster to get through it. Obviously hats off to the players and coming up in big spots. I just love the way coming into this game, knowing how to have a built-in excuse as far as a one game elimination game, we were prepared to win a ballgame.

Hats off to the Cardinals. They gave us everything we could handle. So yeah, I think it's great. It's what baseball wants, Giants, Dodgers, one of the great rivalries in sports, and it's happening.

Q. Before the game you said Chris Taylor was going to come through for you guys at some point postseason. What was it like seeing him come up big?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think just to put it simply is the game honors you. He wanted to be in there tonight, but he was ready when called upon. He prepares just like no other. To come in and make a really nice play defensively that doesn't really show up in the box score, and to pop out his first at-bat but to kind of be present in the moment and execute a plan and put a good swing, that's why he's our Campanella recipient this year. That's why he's one of the leaders on this club.

Q. How big was that block by Bellinger?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, Cody, I've told Cody, I said, my thing is that he's going to be better going forward as a ballplayer and as a person going through this adversity this year. He's getting to the other side, and the at-bats that he took tonight, take the walk, base hit, a couple stolen bases, that's what we need from him, to be that dynamic player, not that one-dimensional home run hitter. He's embraced that, and he helped us win a ballgame tonight.

Q. There's been a lot of these relay race games for the bullpen. How high is the degree of difficulty for a team to have that kind of success from the bullpen that many times in these types of games?

DAVE ROBERTS: I trust those guys, the pitching staff, the run prevention group, front office as far as information. It's a collective effort as far as trying to put those guys in the best position to have success, and ultimately the players have got to make pitches and make plays, and they've done that time and time again.

Tonight clearly we didn't have any margin, and starting with Joe coming in in that big spot, changing point of the game. Throughout the other guys, everyone else did their job tonight, and Kelly held it down.

The great thing is also getting a chance to stay away from Julio, which allows -- it doesn't kind of cut into Game 2.

Q. Back to a point in the week you were talking about earlier, winning the game the way you did with Cody and Chris Taylor sort of making it happen, how much better does that make you feel about a lineup that's obviously going to need these guys moving forward?

DAVE ROBERTS: It makes me feel great. I think that ultimately on the margins where you're playing do or die every single pitch and every membership, so when you can kind of get that edge and feel good about it, it just gives you that flexibility, and having the versatility that we have and honestly the openness from a lot of the players and being ready when called upon. I know it sounds trite, it sounds easy, but just be ready to perform when you get called, your number gets called.

You might not start the game, but you can still impact the game, and clearly we saw Chris Taylor won the game for us tonight.

Q. How would you describe your interaction on the mound with Max? When you went to get him he didn't look particularly happy to see you. What made you feel like that was the right moment?

DAVE ROBERTS: I just felt like all night long, I felt -- I thought Joe West had a fantastic zone tonight. He wasn't giving off, and I just felt that there wasn't a whole lot of swing-and-miss with max tonight. I saw his slider back up a lot. I saw 90 plus pitches not even through five innings, and Arenado took a good swing his first at-bat. He's seen him many times over. I felt right there with Arenado coming up there was a chance for a potential ground ball, number one, and I just thought it was a different look.

We're going to lean on max the rest of the postseason, but I just felt in that moment in time, it was the right decision.

Yeah, I don't ever expect him to be happy, but that was my call.

Q. In all these playoff runs, is this the best shape in terms of alternatives in the bullpen that you have in terms of guys that --

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, yeah. It's the deepest pen. A lot of neutral arms. Yeah.

Q. Going up to San Francisco, are you going to go double or nothing with Bochy?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yes. I am. I'm going to shoot him a text tonight. I am, yeah. We're going to go double or nothing for the series.

Q. These are clearly the two best teams in the sport. How much are you looking forward to that challenge?

DAVE ROBERTS: I really am. I know we all are. Like I said earlier, I think it's great for baseball. They think a lot of the way we think as far as getting platoon and matchup advantages. There's a lot of familiarity, which makes it fun, even more challenging. It's going to be a great series. It's going to be a fantastic series.