During the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres game on Thursday night, there was a benches-clearing altercation between the two teams. It occurred after Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a pitch, and it escalated when Padres manager Mike Shildt and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went at it on the field.
After the game, Roberts commented on the altercation. He first started by making a point that the Tatis hit-by-pitch was unintentional. Robert's comments were shared by Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic on Twitter/X.
Dave Roberts said Fernando Tatis Jr. getting hit was "the last thing I wanted." Said he "didn't feel good" when it happened.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) June 20, 2025
His animosity came from Mike Shildt's reaction, saying, "I felt that he was trying to make it personal with me. Which then, I take it personal."
"[That was] the last thing I wanted," Roberts said of Tatis getting hit by a pitch. "[I] didn't feel good when it happened."
But, while Roberts called the hit-by-pitch unintentional, Shildt, in the moment, didn't think so. He walked onto the field and began yelling at the Dodgers' dugout, and Roberts specifically. That reaction from Shildt sparked Roberts' action to come on the field, which he elaborated on postgame.
"I felt that he was trying to make it personal with me," Roberts said. "Which then, I take it personal."
On the broadcast, Roberts and Shildt can be seen confronting one another behind home plate, with Roberts pushing Shildt away. The altercation will likely be met with fines or other ramifications. But, in the meantime, Roberts and Shildt spoke ill of one another postgame.
Due to Roberts' feeling as if Shildt was making things personal, he reacted harshly in response. The drama was heightened due to previous incidents of Tatis getting hit by Dodgers pitching, which led Shildt to, in the words of Roberts, "make it personal."
Both teams will have time to cool off. Before they face each other again. Their next matchup comes in Los Angeles on Friday, August 15th. Just a couple of days later, the Dodgers make the trip to San Diego on August 21st, which is the last time the two teams would face each other in 2025, barring a postseason collision.
Roberts' comments indicate he felt things were personal, and while there is plenty of time to cool off, Roberts might not do so. It's two months away, but the next series involving the two teams could be a time for retaliation. Roberts, feeling that Shildt made things personal, will likely have that date marked on his calendar.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!