Roger brought his unique pitching style to the mound, throwing from a nearly underhand angle with an 82 mph fastball that looks nothing like a traditional delivery. In the seventh inning, with the go-ahead run at the plate, he faced AJ Pollock. After working the count and falling behind 3-0, Roger battled back, placing an 81 mph fastball on the edge for a called strike that had Pollock upset. Pollock thought he’d earned a walk and voiced his frustration, but the pitch caught the knees.
On a full count with two outs and the bases loaded, Roger went off-speed instead of challenging him again. Pollock made him pay. He crushed the pitch for a go-ahead three-run homer, flipped his bat with attitude as he rounded the bases, and shared some animated celebrations with Joc Pederson and the rest of the Dodgers. The catcher looked stunned, and Roger just accepted it. The moment flipped quickly from controversy at the plate to a decisive swing. Pollock went from arguing a call to putting his team ahead with one swing.