The NLDS saga took a dramatic twist this Thursday, October 9, 2025, as the MLB’s disciplinary hammer fell hard on Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who’s now sidelining himself from Game 4 after a $5,000 fine and a one-game ban for his incendiary hot-mic tirade against Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The league’s ruling, handed down at 2 p.m. PT, branded Thomson’s profanity-laced jab—“That f***ing cyborg can’t touch my guys tomorrow”—as “unfounded and unbecoming,” a direct shot at the Dodgers’ two-way phenom following Wednesday’s stunning 8-2 Phillies upset in Game 3. But the real sting came from Mookie Betts, the Dodgers’ leadoff maestro, whose razor-sharp comeback left Thomson swallowing his pride and the fine with a bitter gulp. As the series teeters at 2-1 with Game 4 underway at 5:08 p.m. PT, LA’s thirst for revenge is palpable, and Philly’s bench ban could be the crack that shatters their comeback dream.

Let’s unpack the chaos. After Kyle Schwarber’s two homers and Aaron Nola’s five-scoreless frames flipped the script on a potential Dodgers sweep, Thomson’s postgame rant—caught on a leaked TBS hot mic—lit the fuse. The Phillies skipper, still buzzing from the 12-hit rout, unleashed on Ohtani, calling him a “robot boy” and promising his bullpen would “carve him up” in Game 4. The clip, blasted out by @PhillyWhistleblower on X, hit 2.5 million views by midnight, sparking #RetaliateForOhtani and a fan frenzy demanding payback. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, under pressure from the Players Association after Ohtani’s reps cried foul, moved fast, citing Rule 21 violations. The ban sidelines Thomson, thrusting bench coach Mike Calitri into the hot seat against Walker Buehler, while the fine—chump change for a $2 million manager—feels more like a public shaming.

Thomson, though, didn’t go quietly. In a Zoom call with reporters at 3 p.m., the 61-year-old Pennsylvanian doubled down, framing his outburst as a vent for “bitter frustration” over the Phillies’ 0-2 series hole. “I couldn’t accept losing to those LA pretty boys,” he snapped, his voice thick with defiance. “Ohtani’s a machine, sure, but my guys outplayed him. The fine? Whatever—I’ll pay it.” His arrogance didn’t sit well with the Dodgers, who’d watched Ohtani go 0-for-4 in a rare off-night, his 54-homer season overshadowed by Yamamoto’s early implosion. Teammates rallied around him, with Freddie Freeman noting, “Sho’s human, but he’s our heart—Thomson’s just mad he can’t stop him.”

Enter Betts, the sparkplug with a .310 average and a knack for clutch October moments. Post-workout at 4:30 p.m., the Dodgers’ right fielder—fresh off a pep talk with Ohtani—dropped a line that turned Thomson’s bravado to ash. “Rob’s fine’s pocket lint to us,” Betts smirked to a gaggle of scribes. “Tell him to save his breath for the mirror—he’s the one who lost control, not us. We’ll see him in Philly if he’s got the guts.” The jab, dripping with cool confidence, went viral on X, racking up 300K likes in an hour and forcing Thomson to issue a grudging “no comment” via the Phillies’ app. Sources say he slammed his hotel room door hard enough to rattle the frame, his earlier swagger replaced by a scowl. “Mookie’s words cut deeper than the ban,” a Phillies insider leaked to The Athletic. “Rob’s stewing, but he knows he’s on thin ice.”

The Dodgers, now 11-0 at home this postseason, seized the moment. Ohtani, silent but steely, crushed 15 BP pitches over 400 feet, his eyes locked on a target only he could see. Roberts tweaked the lineup—Betts leading off, Ohtani second, Hernández fourth—while Buehler, back from elbow rehab, promised “fire” on the mound. The bullpen, with Evan Phillips and Blake Treinen on standby, hinted at a message pitch for Harper, though umpires, warned by MLB, are on edge. Fan bets on DraftKings spiked, with “first beanball” at +200 and ejections over/under jumping to 3.5.

Philly’s response? A mixed bag. Harper, 3-for-4 with a game-sealing homer in Game 3, shrugged on Instagram: “Mike’s got the wheel—let’s roll.” Schwarber, the series’ MVP so far, vowed, “Thomson’s ban won’t stop us.” But the locker room felt Thomson’s absence, with Calitri’s calm demeanor a stark contrast to the skipper’s fire. Cristopher Sánchez, Philly’s 3.13-ERA lefty, faces a Dodgers lineup hungry for blood, and the bullpen’s 1.80 ERA might not hold if LA unleashes its fury.

As Game 4 kicks off under the LA lights, the score’s 0-0 at the top of the second, with Betts grounding out but Ohtani due up next. Thomson, watching from a suite, reportedly muttered, “This ain’t over.” But with Betts’ barb echoing and Ohtani’s bat warming, the Dodgers smell a series-clinching win. If they deliver, it’s NLCS-bound LA; if not, Philly’s back in the fight for Game 5. Revenge is brewing, and every pitch tonight could be a Molotov cocktail. Stay locked—this one’s heating up fast.