LOS ANGELES -- On Wednesday night, David Robertson became the first pitcher to strike out the Dodgers' big three of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in the same inning this season.
After the game, he downplayed his accomplishment. It wasn’t that big of a deal to him. After all, the Rangers won. That’s all that mattered.
“I mean, listen, they pay me to come in and pitch,” he said on Wednesday. “That's what I do. Doesn't matter who's coming up in the box, I'm paid to try to get them out and they're paid to try to score runs off me. so I don't think too much beyond that. I got three outs. I'm gonna throw my best stuff and they're gonna do what they do and hopefully I come out on top and that way the Rangers win.”
Easy enough.
So easy, in fact, that he was able to do it again on Thursday in a key sequence that helped the Rangers win the finale, 3-1.
With runners on the corners with no outs in the eighth inning, Robertson had the chance to repeat his feat from the previous night.
It was nearly identical, as well. He struck out Betts and Ohtani on a combined six pitches. Then Freeman made him work. But while it took nine pitches to strike out Freeman on Wednesday night, it only took a measly five on Thursday, the dagger being a 88.6 mph knuckle curve on the inside corner to get Freeman chasing.
Robertson had never retired Freeman before this week (4-for-4 with a walk).
“Freddie!?” Robertson questioned on Wednesday. “Jesus, he hits everything I throw. I showed him almost every pitch I had. I said on the radio interview that I think the last time I got him out was in Spring Training when he was a Brave. He’s just a hell of a hitter, he’s tough to get out.”
Robertson had never faced Ohtani before this series, but he used the same sequence of pitches to get him out both times: cutter, cutter, knuckle curve.
The 39-year-old said he couldn't tell you what the sequence was because he goes “pitch to pitch,” but he was just focused on not leaving one over the middle of the plate for the two-time American League MVP. Robertson added that he felt he had the advantage since the two hadn’t faced off previously.
Ohtani, for what it’s worth, said that’s exactly who Robertson is: A guy who executes his pitches every time out.
“That’s the first time I’ve faced Ohtani, but gosh, when he swings, you can see how dangerous he is,” Robertson said on Wednesday night. “He hits the ball really hard. You see what he can do, he can flip balls out to any part of the park, so I got lucky."
“It’s fun when it’s over,” he added with a laugh about facing Ohtani on Thursday.
Of the Dodgers' three superstars, Betts was the one with the most plate appearances (11) against Robertson entering this series. He’d mostly been successful, with four hits and just one strikeout in those previous duels.
"Mookie, on the other hand, he's been hitting lasers off me his whole career,” Robertson said. “I feel like I got him when he was first in the league. I got him out a bunch of times, and then he just flipped the switch and just was all over me.”
Well, Betts wasn’t all over him this week.
Robertson dealt a pair of three-pitch strikeouts, mixing in his cutter and knuckle curve both times. Betts could barely touch him.
"[Robertson] just came out prepared,” said catcher Jonah Heim. “Everything was crisp. It was probably the best I've seen his heater and his curveball in the same game. Well both games, actually. We just kept them off balance. We kept them guessing."
After doing it for the second night in a row, Robertson emphasized once again that who he was facing didn’t particularly matter to him. He was just focused on putting up a zero and helping the Rangers secure a win.
His manager disagrees.
“It's a huge deal,” Bochy said. “Yeah, I mean, two nights in a row, they just saw him and he's got to go through them again. He just nailed the location. The curveball was terrific these last two nights, it was a big pitch for him. He's got so much poise out there. He's a pro. He's not going to panic and he turned it up a notch, when he had to.”