"He's the best player of all time": Why Wrobleski's words carry weight

LOS ANGELES — Some baseball games are loud. Some are tense. And then there are games like Tuesday night at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium, where every pitch felt like it mattered and one swing was all it took.

In 1 hour and 52 minutes, the Dodgers' fastest game since August of 1992, the Dodgers blanked the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0, improving to 47-27 and further cementing their place among baseball's elite.

"It was a really fun baseball game to be a part of," Dave Roberts said afterward.

Fun, yes. Old-school, absolutely.

And in the end, it belonged to the two players who have become impossible to ignore: Shohei Ohtani and Justin Wrobleski.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen (57) throws a pitch during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

The game was scoreless through five innings as Wrobleski and Rays ace Drew Rasmussen traded zeros in a classic pitchers' duel. Rasmussen was brilliant, allowing just one run over seven innings while striking out seven.

"Rasmussen is a very good pitcher. We don't see him very often," Roberts said. "This guy's an elite pitcher and for us to find a way, Shohei hitting a homer to win an old-school baseball game, one to nothing under two hours, it was a really fun baseball game to be a part of."

Then came the sixth inning.

With one swing, Ohtani launched a towering drive to straightaway center field that finally broke the deadlock. The ball left his bat with the authority Dodgers fans have become accustomed to seeing, disappearing over the wall for his 15th home run of the season and seventh in his last 17 games.

When Ohtani is doing things like this, it feels inevitable. Not because the moment was dramatic, but because he has normalized the extraordinary.

Roberts isn't surprised by the latest power surge.

"When he uses the big part of the field, there's no one better," Roberts said.

There may not be a truer statement in baseball.

Ohtani finished 1-for-4, raising his average to .297, but the box score doesn't capture what he represents. Every opposing pitcher knows one mistake can change a game. Every teammate understands his presence alters the energy of an entire lineup.

"It's a domino effect," Alex Freeland said. "It goes all the way down. If he gets hot, then the next person gets hot, and it just goes down the line."

The numbers already place Ohtani among the greatest players the sport has ever seen. The combination of elite power, speed, offensive production and pitching accomplishments is unlike anything baseball has witnessed.

But inside the Dodgers clubhouse, the debate might already be over.

Asked whether he's impressed by Ohtani's impact on games, Wrobleski didn't hesitate.

"He's the best player of all time."

Strong words?

Maybe.

Wrong words?

That's becoming increasingly difficult to argue. Yet Ohtani wasn't the only reason the Dodgers won Tuesday night.

Wrobleski delivered one of the finest starts of his young season, carving through Tampa Bay's lineup with remarkable efficiency. The left-hander didn't allow a hit until the ninth batter in the Rays lineup reached safely in the third inning.

By the time his night ended, Wrobleski had thrown six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five and walking nobody.

His final line:

6.0 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts.

Just 67 pitches.

The decision to remove him after six innings raised some eyebrows, but Roberts later confirmed the plan was tied to circumstance rather than performance. Wrobleski was pitching on four days' rest and coming off a right hamstring contusion suffered in his previous outing.

"He gave everything we needed," Roberts said.

Indeed he did.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium.

Wrobleski attacked hitters from the first inning through the sixth, throwing 50 strikes among his 67 pitches and never allowing Tampa Bay to establish any offensive rhythm.

"My goal is to go out there and pitch til they take the ball away from me," Wrobleski said.

On this night, the Dodgers took the ball away because they could afford to.

Will Klein, Kyle Hurt and Tanner Scott combined for three perfect innings out of the bullpen, preserving the shutout and completing one of the cleanest victories of the season.

The Dodgers now own 47 wins, the most in Major League Baseball, and their lead atop the National League West has grown to nine games over the San Diego Padres. More importantly, they're winning in every imaginable way.

They can overwhelm opponents with offense. They can slug their way through shootouts. And on nights like Tuesday, they can win a game that feels transported from another era, a dominant starter, airtight bullpen work and one swing from the game's biggest star.

One run. One home run. One masterpiece from Wrobleski.

And once again, one reminder that Ohtani continues to do things no player in baseball history has ever done.

The Dodgers will try for the sweep Wednesday afternoon, with Ohtani scheduled to start on the mound. Roberts confirmed after Tuesday's game that Ohtani will pitch but will not serve as the designated hitter.