When Blake Treinen slowly but surely lost his efficiency over the course of the eighth inning, Dave Roberts had to make a decision that would define Game 5 of the World Series one way or another: to bench or not to bench Blake Treinen.
A tough call? You bet; Treinen is the Dodgers’ best closing pitcher and has an arm worthy of deploying against darn near anyone, but after throwing multiple innings when he’s used to multiple batters? Gosh, why risk his stuff if Game 6 might be two days away?
Well, Roberts decided to give Treinen the ball and was better off for it, with the usual closer finishing out the eighth without surrendering another and giving Walker Buehler a chance for his first-ever World Series save up 7-6.
What gave Roberts that confidence to keep Treinen in the game when he could have turned to another arm? Well, the skipper was asked that very question at the end of the regulation and revealed what he saw in Treinen that justified the decision.
Dave Roberts reveals what he saw in Blake Treinen’s eyes
Related Los Angeles Dodgers NewsArticle continues below
Asked about keeping Treinen in the game on the way to a 42-pitch effort, Roberts reveals the conversation he had with his pitcher at the mound and how he knew, looking in his eyes, that he was going to close things out.
“Yeah, you know what? I just wanted to look in Blake’s eyes. Blake’s our guy, Blake’s been our guy,” Roberts said. “I just wanted to slow the game down a little bit, I looked in his eyes, I said, ‘how are you feeling? How much more you got?’ He said, ‘I want it,’ and I trusted him.”
Would the Dodgers have won the World Series if he put Buehler in the game a little earlier? It’s impossible to say, but considering how much both of those pitchers have gone through to get to the Fall Classic, it’s safe to say both men will never have to buy a beer, taco, or Dodger Dog in LA ever again, as they are now made men in the “City of Angels.”