Larson, Stenhouse Visit Dodgers—Hours Later, Dave Roberts Ejected in Fiery Inning

Pregame photo with Kyle Larson and Dave Roberts gains context after fiery third inning.

By Crystal Clay

LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday afternoon, NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Larson visited Dodger Stadium, joining Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in the clubhouse before the game.

Image via Kyle Larson on Instagram (@kylelarsonracin) before Tuesday night's game against the Padres.

Larson posted a photo from the moment with the caption: “Stenhouse Jr. getting a lecture from manager Dave Roberts on how to control his anger.

A playful jab, until the rest of the night unfolded.

The previous evening, Dodgers rookie and former Padres outfielder, Andy Pages was hit by a 98 mph fastball from Padres starter Dylan Cease. Pages reacted immediately, shouting toward the mound. Cease denied any intent, but the benches tensed and the emotional temperature between the division rivals rose.

The following night, in the third inning of Tuesday’s game, Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a pitch. Umpires issued warnings to both teams. Soon after, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was hit by a pitch that appeared to be deliberate, sparking further outrage. Roberts bolted from the dugout to defend his player and was ejected; his first of the 2025 season and the 13th of his managerial career. His most recent ejection came in August 2024 after arguing an obstruction call.

Roberts expressed his frustration post game late Tuesday night: 

“Shohei comes up with the bases open, and Vasquez took one shot at him, and then hit him again,” Roberts said. “It’s very hard to miss that bat with a right-handed pitcher. If you’re gonna do it, own it. There’s no misfire. I didn’t feel a warning on both sides was warranted. I just wanted an explanation.”

While the dugouts didn't clear, the moment underscored the rising emotion between the two teams.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was ejected for arguing with umpires after Shohei Ohtani was hit by a pitch against the Padres via Bleacher Report/YouTube

Stenhouse, known in NASCAR for standing on business, chimed in from afar.

“Sometimes you just have to tell them what you’re thinking,” he wrote on X, quote-tweeting a video of Roberts confronting the umpires. Just two days earlier, Stenhouse had delivered a similar message face-to-face.

In Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Viva México 250  at Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Stenhouse was spun by Carson Hocevar with 10 laps to go in the inaugural event. After finishing 27th, Stenhouse confronted Hocevar post-race and told him: “I’m going to beat your ass when we get back into the States.” The comment quickly made the rounds online. It wasn't the first time Stenhouse made such a bold statement. In 2024, after a wreck in the NASCAR All-Star Race, he waited outside Kyle Busch’s hauler, wearing bright yellow shorts, and threw a punch. The confrontation led to a fine and confirmed what many already knew: Stenhouse doesn't bluff.

The tension between Stenhouse and Carson Hocevar has been building over the past several weeks. At Nashville in early June, Hocevar spun Stenhouse on Lap 106, effectively ending his race. Though the two spoke afterward and appeared to resolve the incident, frustration lingered. That tension resurfaced Sunday in Mexico City, when Hocevar made contact again.

While neither Stenhouse nor Larson are Los Angeles fixtures, the irony of their clubhouse photo became clearer as the night wore on. One of NASCAR’s most volatile personalities had posed with the highly-respected Dodgers manager just hours before Roberts was tossed for standing up for his players.

It all happened inside one of Major League Baseball’s most iconic franchises. The Dodgers, defending a World Series title, have long battled the San Francisco Giants in the National League West. But in recent years, their rivalry with the San Diego Padres, full of postseason tension and high-profile stars, has become the sport’s most emotionally charged on the West Coast.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on X (formally Twitter)

From a wreck on a road course in Mexico City to MLB superstars hit at bat in Los Angeles, the two sports shared something deeper this week: real-time conflict, driven by pride and proximity. Because in racing or baseball, it does not matter what uniform you wear. If you cross a line, someone is going to meet you there.

That clubhouse photo, taken just hours before Roberts was ejected, shows Stenhouse and Roberts smiling like nothing was coming.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson, and Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts inside Dodgers clubhouse prior to Tuesday's game. Image via Kyle Larson on Instagram (@kylelarsonracin) June 17, 2025.

It really makes you wonder what was said in the manager’s office.

They both stood up when it counted. One made a threat and walked away untouched. The other, frustrated, questioned umpires and got thrown out.

The caption was supposed to be a joke, but the real-world events made it almost prophetic.

What looked like a random, light hearted Instagram post became the clearest read of the night.