Dodgers pitcher Matt Sauer endured a painful comebacker, staying in the game and showcasing grit in a tough team loss.

It was a night that many Los Angeles Dodgers fans will try to forget — an 11–1 thrashing at the hands of the San Diego Padres on June 10, 2025. But for those who watched closely, the game offered a moment of rare heroism amid the blowout: pitcher Matt Sauer, a name unfamiliar to many before this season, took a scorching comebacker off his thigh and stayed in the game — gutting through nearly five innings in one of the grittiest performances by a Dodgers pitcher in recent memory.

For a team ravaged by injuries and struggling to find consistent arms, Sauer’s sacrifice wasn’t just commendable — it was necessary. And though the Dodgers came away battered on the scoreboard, they left with something perhaps more enduring: a renewed respect for a young man who put his body on the line when his team needed him most.

An Early Blow — and Then a Bigger One

The tone of the game was set early. The Padres, powered by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto, jumped out to a quick lead, capitalizing on location mistakes from Sauer, who was making just his second major league start. The Padres tagged him for three runs in the first inning and looked poised for more when disaster struck — literally.

With one out in the third inning and two runners on base, Manny Machado laced a 108 mph line drive right back at the mound. Sauer had little time to react. The ball struck him squarely on the right thigh, a sickening thud echoing through Petco Park as he collapsed to the mound.

The Dodgers’ medical staff rushed out. Sauer grimaced in pain, unable to immediately rise. The game paused for over three minutes as he was evaluated. Most watching assumed his night was over. Few would have faulted him.

But to the surprise of nearly everyone — and the admiration of his teammates — Sauer stood up, tossed two warm-up pitches, and gave manager Dave Roberts the nod.

“I wasn’t coming out unless my leg gave out,” Sauer said afterward. “It’s not how I imagined the night would go, but I knew the bullpen needed me.”

The State of the Dodgers’ Staff

What compelled Sauer to push through the pain isn’t hard to understand when you consider the current state of the Dodgers’ pitching staff. Los Angeles entered the season with one of the most expensive and hyped rotations in baseball, including Walker Buehler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Bobby Miller. But the injury bug has taken a vicious toll.

As of June 10, 14 Dodgers pitchers were on the injured list, combining for over $100 million in salary. Yamamoto is dealing with shoulder fatigue. Miller is sidelined with elbow soreness. Buehler’s innings are being carefully managed after a second Tommy John surgery. The bullpen has been leaned on heavily, resulting in dead arms and frayed nerves.

In that context, every inning from a starter becomes precious — even in a game where you’re down big.

Roberts was candid after the game. “That wasn’t easy to watch, but it was necessary,” he said. “Matt took one for the team. Literally.”

111 Pitches of Determination

What followed was less than pretty, but undeniably courageous. Sauer limped his way through 4⅔ innings, giving up 13 hits and 9 earned runs. He threw 111 pitches, more than any Dodger this season not named Tyler Glasnow.

Pitch after pitch, he battled. His velocity dipped slightly — likely a result of the bruised leg — but he didn’t back down. He faced the minimum in only one inning but managed to avoid a complete bullpen meltdown by eating innings the team couldn’t afford to cover.

“We’ve had nights where the bullpen has had to cover seven, eight innings,” Roberts said. “Matt saved us from that. That’s bigger than most people realize.”

For Sauer, the numbers were ugly. His ERA ballooned to 6.52. His WHIP rose above 1.70. But those numbers, in this case, don’t tell the story.

Teammates Take Notice

The mood in the clubhouse was somber after the lopsided loss, but players made it a point to praise Sauer’s toughness.

“He’s a dog,” said veteran outfielder Mookie Betts. “You don’t see that kind of guts every day. That’s a guy you want to go to war with.”

First baseman Freddie Freeman, sidelined himself with a rib strain, echoed the sentiment.

“We’ve been in survival mode,” Freeman said. “For Matt to put himself out there and fight through that pain — it meant something. It showed the heart this team still has.”

A Journey of Persistence

Sauer’s presence on the mound that night was the result of a long and unlikely road. Drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft, his career was stalled by multiple injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2019. The Dodgers picked him up in a low-risk move in 2023, assigning him to Double-A Tulsa where he quietly rebuilt his form.

By 2024, Sauer had become a dependable innings-eater in Triple-A. But few expected him to see serious MLB time in 2025 — until the pitching crisis forced the Dodgers’ hand. In his debut start on June 3 against the Pirates, he threw five respectable innings, allowing three runs and flashing a solid curveball. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective — and most importantly, it was available.

That availability became invaluable on June 10.

What’s Next?

The Dodgers will now wait to see how Sauer’s leg responds. Initial X-rays were negative for fractures, but contusions can linger, especially in a player asked to generate power from the legs.

“We’re going to be smart,” Roberts said. “He did what he had to do. Now it’s on us to protect him.”

Sauer’s next scheduled start would fall on June 16, but the team has not committed to using him, hinting that a short IL stint might be possible. If he does miss time, it won’t be for a lack of effort — and it certainly won’t be forgotten.

The Bigger Picture

For all the headlines about Shohei Ohtani’s home runs or Gavin Stone’s breakout, it’s players like Matt Sauer who often carry teams through the long grind of 162 games.

“There’s no stat for what he did tonight,” said catcher Will Smith. “But the whole clubhouse knows.”

In many ways, Sauer’s performance represents the quiet backbone of championship-caliber teams. Baseball’s long season doesn’t allow for perfection. It demands persistence, sacrifice, and — sometimes — pain.

The box score won’t remember June 10 as a triumph for the Dodgers. It was a lopsided loss in every sense. But within that game was a performance that epitomizes everything good about baseball — courage, team-first mentality, and unrelenting grit.

Matt Sauer didn’t win the game. He didn’t dominate the lineup. He didn’t even escape unscathed.

But he stayed in, when leaving would’ve been easy. He protected his teammates by absorbing innings. And he showed that even in the face of failure, there’s dignity in perseverance.

“That’s what being a pro is,” said Roberts. “Doing your job, no matter what.”

And on June 10, 2025, that’s exactly what Matt Sauer did.