2025 NLDS: Rob Thomson explains walking Shohei Ohtani & praises Dodgers in ‘well-fought’ series

[Music] We’re going to start here in the middle with Paul. Rob, obviously a heartbreaking way to lose. Looked like he had a long conversation with Orion coming off the field. Do you want to share a little what you told him or? Uh, just to keep his head up. You know, he just got caught up in the moment a little bit. Um, you know, he coming down the stretch there, he pitched so well for us and it’s um, you know, I feel I feel form because he’s he’s putting it all on his shoulders, but we win as a team and we lose as a team. So, okay, go here on the right. Rob, um, could you just take us through the decision to to take Lazardo out at that point and put Kirk Ring in the game at that point? Just with the two righties and Zeus had 30 pitches on him with three days rest, I did I didn’t want to push him too much further really going into the game. Thought about just one inning for him really because it’s kind of his side day. Um, but he was so efficient in the first we decided to send him back out in second. Okay, next question. We’re going to go to Destiny over there on the left. Obviously, the devastation of it all is pretty fresh, but can you speak to the way this team fought until the end? Yeah, I told him um after the game, I said, you know, I appreciate what they’ve done all year. Um they prepared, competed, picked each other up, uh true professionals the entire year, and I’m extremely proud of how they went about their business. And I’m proud uh that I’m their manager, tell you the truth. Um that goes for the coaching staff, it goes for um all the support staff. Um just a really elite group of people. What do you think of everybody coming to Orion after that play and supporting him? That’s what that’s tells you about what they’re made of, you know. Um like I said, they win as a team, they lose as a team, they support each other. Um, you know, as as bad as you feel, it’s good to see them be there for each other. We’re gonna go to Dylan on the right. How impressive was Sasaki for the Dodgers? And uh, were you surprised at all that he went out there for a third inning? No, not really. I mean, he’s been starting. He’s been lengthened out. When you get into these games, you know, you got to do some things that are a little unconventional. And, uh, yeah, he was really good. Really good. new straight back. C can you just talk about a little bit about the pitching in the series? How impressive it was from both teams? Yeah, I mean all the starters were tremendous. Um, you know, we got some great relief, especially today. Lazardo stepping up, coming out of the pen. Um, Strong was really good today. Their bullpen was good. Um, yeah, it was uh pretty impressive. Four games. Well, Rob, obviously now four years in a row, World Series hopes and the way this one ended, I mean, how does this one feel compared to the others, is it is it harder to take with the way it ended? Um, I can’t really compare cuz they all feel just awful. I mean, um, when this happens, it’s like the your entire world come comes to a stop and it’s just a thud and, um, it’s just not a good feeling. It really isn’t. Especially, you know, um regular season we were really good. We had a lot of wins and we expected a lot more. And you guys typically a guy like Zack Wheeler has taken down a lot of innings in this series. I know you just talked about the pitching, but the starters, every plan you did pitching wise seemed to work. I mean, does that make this even tougher to swallow? It is tough, you know. Um, but I I I take my hat off to our starters for um, you know, picking it up and and you know, when Zach went down, they they just did a heck of a job. They just kept getting better and better as season went on and um, they pitched great in the playoffs. Daniel, Robin, take us back to the I think it was the seventh inning, the decision to obviously Otani’s great, intentionally walk him, then load the bases. Um, and then Durant walks the guy. Any concern about I know sometimes you don’t like to walk intentionally walk the bases loaded because it doesn’t leave the pitcher a margin for error there. Yeah, that’s uh Don’s first career bases loaded walk. So, I mean, you’re not expecting that and just his ability to throw strikes. Um, really wasn’t expecting that, but you know, it happened. And um you made several decisions this series with the logical baseball reasoning behind it, but it just seemed not to work out a lot of the time. Did you feel kind of snake bit at all or is that just part of managing and stuff? I It’s just part of man managing and and when something doesn’t work, you’re you’re up for criticism and I understand that. It’s just part of the part of the job. Awesome. Rob, you talked about how great the pitching was in this series, but when you when you look at your lineup, I mean, other than what you got a couple innings last night, um, they really struggled against the Dodgers. Is there anything that you can kind of identify as to maybe what didn’t click for them against this team? Dodgers have really good pitching, you know, so I mean, their lineup’s good, too, and they didn’t score a whole lot of runs either. So, it’s it really comes down to the pitching. They pitch great. We pitch great. It was a wellfought series. Uh they came out on top on top unfortunately and um you know that’s the way it is and feel awful. Anything else for Rob Destiny? This team has a lot of free agents obviously there’s a lot of work for the front office to do but from your perspective like where does this team go from here and do you think there’s there’s great years ahead? Oh I do. you know, with uh and and I don’t know what um Dave and and John and Preston are going to do in the offseason. We haven’t really talked about anything like that, but um you know, our farm system is being built up. Um I know that they’re going to you know, they’re I mean, John’s going to spend money. He wants to win. He wants a world champion. So, um there’s good years ahead. No doubt. Do you expect a manage next year? Do I? That’s again, it’s out of my control. I’m not I’m not even thinking about it. I got 60 people in there that are brokenhearted right now. So, I’m thinking about that more so than my job right now. Rob, thank you for all your time. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson explained walking Shohei Ohtani to load the bases, and praised the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching after Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
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44 comments

  2. 20+ year Dodger fan here. Hats off and mad respect to Thompson, Schwarber, Harper, JT, you guys are a class act and will have your time. If we didn’t do it I was gonna root for you guys to do it.

  3. I knew these playoff series were all going to be great games, this one was a tough one to watch and I feel bad for the Phillies… go Dodgers ⚾️

  9. A lot of respect for the Phillies team. They were the team to beat for the entire post-season. They are 10 times more a team than the padres will ever be, and coach Thomson is a wonderful coach!

  10. I'm a lifelong Dodger fan but during this series Rob Thomson and the Phillies players have earned my utmost respect. It was one hell of a pitching match right to the very end and truly
    a heart- breaking way to lose but your post game interview is nothing but class act sir.

  15. To the Phillies and their fans hold your heads high. You had a great season and a terrific series. You will be back. As a lifelong Dodger fan I salute you!

  17. Team loss. Nothing more. They walked the tying run home. Allowed the winning run on an error. But the Phillies lost this series in Game 2 when the Dodgers tried to give the game away.

  18. Dodgers fan here

    I believe these are the two strongest teams and whomever came out of this series should be favoured to win

    Classy Manager, great club and a good rivalry

    Philly will be back up there again next year, hope you guys resign Kyle

    That guy is soooo good

  24. 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌Keep your chin up Mr. Thomson and the rest of the Phillies.
    NLDS isn't the usual NLDS this year. It was a battle for the world series.
    Second place in the league ain't bad at all.

  26. ** A Phillies Fan here. Two great teams. In the end it came down to one thing: Fundamentals. The Dodgers played more fundamentally sound ball. Two things stand out: 1) The Wheel Play at 3rd and 2) The fielding miscue to end the game.

  27. The Phillies had the Dodgers number during the regular season. But the outing Ohtani had against them in the regular season demonstrated to me that the Phillies were beatable. Unfortunately, the bullpen blew the game for the Dodgers in the regular season. Kudos to Dave Robert’s for seeing that as well and changing the game in the playoffs. The Phillies were really good, but the Dodgers played better! 💙

  32. this is what happens when you don't win at home. has nothing to do with that error. Losing both at home and then walking Otani who was 1-17 in the series was not bright because it put more pressuer on the pitcher to be perfect. Pitch around Otani and let him press. fing analytics is bulls&*&

  38. Thompson made a costly managerial decision when he intentionally BB on ohtani to load the bases for Betts …ohtani has been 1 for 17 in post-season to date & he’s a free-swinging machine who does not work the count often …whereas Betts has been hotter with the bat & has a keen eye for the strike zone …Betts has more plate discipline & makes more contact than ohtani …so Philly would’ve been better off taking their chances against ohtani in that spot

  42. Shohei had prev hit Two homers off of Closer. He walked in run when Phil were ahead. Dodgers performed better when they had to!!! phils win 1 game and their offense only hit well in one game. previius Series Dodger starters pitched well but lost because of Weak BP at that time. yes Bp finally showed up with Roki making impact. Yes Dodgers🎉

  43. Philly Born and Raised and I am pissed off throughout the whole series. You can’t make these Baseball 101 Mistakes from the Bunts and steals, intentional walk, bullpen and throwing home with 2 outs and the play is at 1st. Ranger would have made that last play like Butter.

  44. To the Phillies I have respect for your team and players. To lose like this is hard on an error as a baseball player. I hated losing like this . I rather lose by someone getting a hit not an error

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