Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is convinced Randy Vásquez plunked Shohei Ohtani on purpose in the third inning of Tuesday night's heated 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Vásquez hit Ohtani in the leg with a fastball inside after Lou Trivino hit Fernando Tatis Jr. in the top half of the inning. The umpiring crew responded by issuing both teams a warning, which led Roberts to lose his temper and ultimately get ejected.
(Video source: MLB.com)
"Absolutely," Roberts said on whether Vásquez hit Ohtani intentionally, according to Fabian Ardaya and Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
"He hasn't come close. For me, if they feel that's warranted on their side, part of baseball, that’s what they feel. I give him credit because they hit him in the leg. Own it, and we move on. It's not a misfire."
Vásquez, meanwhile, chalked up hitting Ohtani to following the game plan they had for pitching to him.
"The plan that we had beforehand was to execute a pitch that was inside, a fastball that was inside," he said. "We were able to execute it."
Los Angeles tagged Vásquez for three runs through five innings before erupting for five more in the sixth off reliever Jeremiah Estrada.
Will Smith put the Dodgers ahead for good with a two-run homer.
"We love the passion," Smith said postgame. "We love (Roberts') commitment to winning and competitiveness, standing up for what’s right. So you know when he’s mad, probably something has gone wrong."
Dodgers reliever Matt Sauer later hit Padres infielder Jose Iglesias in the wrist in the seventh inning, but he wasn't ejected.
The clubs continue their four-game series on Wednesday night.
