Dalton Dashing is Dodgers’ new lightning rod — in additional methods than one

SAN FRANCISCO — Dalton Dashing was in the midst of an emotionally charged scene Thursday, which got here as no shock to his supervisor.

“I believe that’s inevitable,” the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts mentioned with a chuckle.

Inevitable due to Dashing’s outsized persona.

If Shohei Ohtani is the face of the Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the arm, Dashing is the perspective.

The second-year catcher initiatives the arrogance of a participant who is aware of he might be a star. By baseball’s present requirements, he has a minimal filter. He’s intense — and, from an opponent’s perspective, nearly actually obnoxious.

The one motive he doesn’t discover himself in battle extra usually is as a result of he’s nonetheless a part-time participant.

In a futile effort to think about an identical character in recent times, I made a reference to legendary dangerous boy Yasiel Puig, which elicited a playful retort from Roberts.

“Don’t try this,” Roberts mentioned.

The Giants turned the most recent crew to be triggered by 25-year-old Dashing, which explains why their beginning pitcher drilled him within the ribs within the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-0 victory Thursday at Oracle Park.

Two nights earlier, Dashing tagged out Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee at dwelling. Lee was gradual to stand up on the play, and Dashing was proven on digicam mouthing one thing as he returned to the Dodgers’ bench. The consensus on the web was that Dashing mentioned, “f— ’em,” which Dashing later denied.

With Dodgers’ Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim serving as a center man, Dashing spoke to Lee to clear up any doable misunderstanding.

Irrespective of.

With one out within the sixth inning, Logan Webb struck Dashing within the ribs with a 93 mph fastball. Webb wouldn’t say he threw at Dashing deliberately, however Roberts was satisfied that was the case.

“It in all probability was,” Roberts mentioned. “[Rushing] mentioned what he mentioned. I don’t assume he meant it too personally, however they see it, social media catches it. Webby’s an old-school man, he’s defending his teammates, so I acquired no drawback with it.”

On Kim’s double-play grounder that adopted, Dashing slid into Giants shortstop Willy Adames.

“I favored that, too,” Roberts mentioned. “That’s baseball.”

Dashing was uncharacteristically diplomatic when questioned in regards to the incident.

“If it was intentional, I’ll take it,” he mentioned. “I’ll take what I deserve.”

He reiterated that he “cleared the air” with Lee and made positive he was wholesome.

As for the way he crashed into Adames, Dashing mentioned, “I used to be taught that in school. That’s form of the best way you go in, particularly [when] you might have a speedster like Hyeseong behind me.”

To Roberts, this was a laughing matter by the point the Dodgers sealed the win to keep away from a three-game sweep. Roberts argued that Dashing’s “youthful enthusiasm” and “edge” have been welcome additions to a crew on which most gamers have low-key personalities.

“That’s good for a veteran ballclub,” Roberts mentioned.

None of this may work if Dashing wasn’t producing, in fact. Perspective with out manufacturing will be grating, however Dashing has managed to translate his fearlessness into on-field outcomes, his .419 common the very best on the crew. He has seven homers in 31 at-bats.

Dashing drove within the Dodgers’ first run Thursday, his single to heart area scoring Max Muncy from second base. The RBI was Dashing’s 14th of the season, tying him for second most on the crew with Freddie Freeman.

Requested if rivalry video games towards, say, the Giants or Padres have been extra doubtless to attract out Dashing’s fiery temperament, Roberts mentioned he didn’t assume so.

“It comes out so much, no matter opponent,” Roberts mentioned.

Instance: Final week in Colorado, Dashing mentioned he discovered it “somewhat fishy” how the Rockies efficiently ambushed the Dodgers early in counts.

That is a part of the package deal.

Dashing will drive in runs. He may even drive controversy.

“I believe we gotta brace ourselves,” Roberts mentioned.

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