Dave Roberts Holds Shohei Ohtani Accountable After Baserunning Mistake in Dodgers Loss

Even three-time MVPs make mistakes sometimes.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani commited a so-called cardinal sin of baseball during the club's 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and reigning World Series MVP Freddie Freeman at the plate, Ohtani found himself on second base after swiping the bag moments before. As Blue Jays lefthander Brendon Little delivered a strike to Freeman, Ohtani took off for third in another stolen base attempt but was caught stealing for the last out of the inning.

One of baseball's oldest adages is, never make the last out of an inning at third base. Effectively, the logic is, don't kill a potential two-out rally. While one can quibble about the veracity of this statement, it seems that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts at least partially subscribes to the thinking..

Dave Roberts says that Shohei Ohtani trying to steal third on his own was "not a good baseball play." pic.twitter.com/tmYUAgJr1C
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 11, 2025

"That was his decision," Roberts, addressing the sixth-inning play, told reporters after the game. "Not a good baseball play."

Aside from the baserunning blunder, it's difficult to pin the blame for Sunday's loss on Ohtani, who belted his 41st home run of the season, tied for the National League lead, while collecting another hit and a pair of walks.

Roberts's frustration with Ohtani's aggressiveness gone wrong on the basepaths was likely a microcosm of how he felt about the game as a whole. Los Angeles had chances to add to its thin 3-2 lead throughout the game, stranding 16 baserunners and going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers' struggling bullpen then surrendered the lead in the top of the eighth inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger both homered off of Blake Treinen.

"This is frustrating because I just felt there’s no way we should lose this game today," Roberts said. "We had them on the ropes numerous times. And for us not to win is so frustrating."

The Dodgers, clinging to a two-game lead in the NL West, will next take on the Los Angeles Angels before a pivotal divisional face-off against the surging San Diego Padres.