In a game that demanded precision and poise, Landon Knack delivered. Then Dodgers manager Dave Roberts summed it up perfectly with a three-word review: “Landon was fantastic.”
Knack was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to help the Dodgers navigate a grueling stretch of 19 games in 20 days. And in Wednesday’s 10-1 win over the Miami Marlins, the 27-year-old right-hander exceeded expectations. Pitching with minimal run support through his five innings, Knack kept Miami scoreless, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out four.
“The day was really just trying to attack, get ahead and stay on the attack the whole time,” Knack said postgame. “Everything felt pretty good today. Fastball location was great, curveball I was able to strike that, changeup was really going. I felt really good.”
Knack’s command was on full display with a 66% zone rate on his four-seam fastball, well above MLB average. Even as the Dodgers struggled to solve Marlins starter Valente Bellozo through five innings, Knack kept the game close.
Dodgers blow out Marlins, Landon Knack dazzles
Roberts sent Knack back out for the sixth, but after two quick singles to open the inning, he turned to Matt Sauer. The rookie reliever responded by inducing a double play and striking out Jesus Sánchez to preserve the Dodgers' slim 1-0 lead.
What followed was an offensive explosion.
Related Los Angeles Dodgers NewsArticle continues below
The Dodgers put up six runs in the seventh, starting with a Hyeseong Kim RBI single. After an intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani loaded the bases, Mookie Betts walked in a run, and Freddie Freeman cleared the bases with a three-run triple. Andy Pages added an RBI single to push the lead to 7-0.
Freeman extended his hitting streak to 12 games and is batting .478 (22-for-46) during that span. He and Ohtani have been electric in Miami, a place where both have consistently torched pitching. Ohtani, who tripled and scored the game’s first run, is now a .394 hitter in eight career games at loanDepot Park.
Meanwhile, Sauer continued to cruise. He threw four scoreless innings and secured the rare four-inning save—a huge bonus for a Dodgers bullpen needing rest. “This was the perfect outcome for us,” Roberts said. “Knack was going to go as long as he could, and Sauer came in and filled it up.”
James Outman capped off the scoring with a three-run homer in the ninth. The only blemish on the day came in the bottom of the frame, when two defensive miscues allowed the Marlins to score their lone run. Still, Knack and Sauer combined to give the Dodgers exactly what they needed: innings, efficiency, and a bullpen break.
“It means a lot when the manager believes in you like that,” Knack said of Roberts’ postgame praise. “I’m just trying to help the team however I can.”
With performances like this, he’s doing more than helping—he’s earning trust.
