Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has humiliated himself. He brought in a position player in the 6th inning to plan for the future. In the process, the bullpen pitcher threw a staggering 111 pitches.

The Dodgers suffered a 1-11 defeat against the San Diego Padres in the 2025 Major League game held at Petco Park in San Diego, California, on the 11th (Korea time).

On that day, the Dodgers started right-handed bullpen pitcher Lou Trivino as a starter. With a bullpen day already planned, Trivino completed his opener role efficiently by retiring three batters in the first inning. They brought in Matt Sauer starting in the second inning. Sauer held the scoreless inning in the second but began to struggle and was hit hard from the third inning.

By the time there were two outs in the 6th inning, Sauer had given up a staggering 9 runs. He was hit hard with 9 runs allowed over 4⅔ innings with 13 hits allowed (1 home run), 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Meanwhile, the lineup was perfectly stifled by San Diego's starter Dylan Cease. By the 6th inning, they were trailing 0-9. The Dodgers made a shocking choice here. They brought in utility player Kiké Hernández with two outs in the 6th. Although the score margin was quite wide, the 6th inning marked the middle of the game. However, Manager Roberts had effectively thrown in the towel early. It was a choice that succumbed to a humiliating outcome.

Nevertheless, Roberts did not get overly emotional about a single game. He boldly decided to give up the game that should be given up. With the starting pitching rotation not functioning properly, except for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and with concerns about the bullpen's overuse, Manager Roberts focused on selection and concentration.

After the game, Manager Roberts explained his decision to bring in a position player starting in the 6th inning, stating, "After the score difference widened early, I had to consider the bullpen situation and think about which pitchers I could utilize going forward," and added, "I thought it was unwise to aggressively chase or to push the bullpen to its limits in today's game."

He further noted, "It was very awkward and I did not feel good about it. Michael Kopech was available to pitch today. But using Kopech with a 6-7 run deficit would not make sense if he couldn't pitch tomorrow. I adhered to the league regulations, preparing for future games in this manner. Ultimately, what matters is winning the upcoming games."

In 2023, Major League Baseball revised the rules to prevent indiscriminate pitching by position players. It specifies that a team leading by 10 runs or trailing by 8 runs in the 9th inning can bring in a position player. With a 9-run deficit in the 6th inning, Manager Roberts' choice does not raise issues.

However, making this choice meant that the second pitcher Sauer threw a staggering 111 pitches. Manager Roberts expressed his gratitude separately. His previous personal high pitch count was 78, which he far exceeded. Having appeared in 22 games, he has pitched in relief in 21 of them, being a complete bullpen pitcher. In fact, it's rare for starting pitchers to throw 111 pitches nowadays. But as part of Roberts' strategy of selection and concentration, Sauer had to make sacrifices. Manager Roberts explained, "Matt (Sauer) threw the most pitches. He threw himself for the team. He played an important role in preserving other pitchers and keeping the possibility of winning the series alive."

He continued, "Matt also understood his role. A decision was needed based on the flow of the game," adding, "The trainer was constantly checking on his condition. There were no health issues, and physically it was not considered excessive. However, his control was poor." Now the Dodgers are set to play the final game of the series against San Diego on the 12th. With the current record at 1 win and 1 loss, the Dodgers will send left-handed pitcher Justin Loblsky to the mound. San Diego has announced Randy Vasquez as the starter. Loblsky is also an unpredictable pitcher, so preparations for an all-out effort in the game on the 12th are underway.

Roberts said, "I also considered that Justin (Loblsky) is the starter. We have to judge what to pursue and what is valuable. The preparations for winning tomorrow include today's decisions," he emphasized. "If we fall behind early in the flow of the game, there are times when we just have to accept it. However, the opportunity to win is still there."

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