Dave Roberts discussed on August 9, 2026, the reasoning behind in-game decisions that fans often misunderstand or oversimplify, including sticking with struggling relievers or starters.
Roberts said one example fans criticize is leaving a reliever in the game after a rough outing. "Leaving a guy a reliever in there where the fans he hasn't pitched well recently," Roberts said, describing the kind of decision that draws frustration. He explained that his approach is to "continue to instill confidence in the player knowing that I'm going to need him down the road."
Roberts noted that he has to operate with less emotion than fans because he has access to more information about players and the team. "I just can't be as emotional as as fans are and that's why fans are fans," he said.
He also pointed to struggling hitters as another area where fan reaction differs from his own approach. Roberts explained that when fans want a struggling hitter benched or released, he instead trusts the player's underlying work, stating his goal is "just to continue to give him the confidence that I feel that he can work his way out of it."
On the subject of starting pitchers, Roberts acknowledged that pulling a struggler early, as fans might prefer, isn't always feasible. Doing so, he explained, would mean he'd have to "use every other pitcher I have available and not available to pitch," straining the bullpen for that game and beyond. He added that his responsibility extends past the game in front of him, since he has "to manage this game and also the games after the fact."
Roberts framed his decision-making as centered on maintaining player confidence rather than reacting to short-term results or fan sentiment, a balance he continues to navigate while managing the Los Angeles Dodgers through the current stretch of games.