Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has reached an astounding milestone, with 1,000 wins to his credit after the Dodgers beat the Athletics 9-3.
Roberts is in his 11th season as the manager of LA, leading the Dodgers to three World Series titles and multiple playoff pushes.
Despite criticism at times of his postseason bullpen decisions, the Dodgers stuck by him and trusted his leadership to power the franchise’s future.
Their faith has paid off in spades, with Roberts leading multiple different variations of Dodgers squads to 90-100 win seasons on a consistent basis.
Now, 11 years later, Roberts is on the verge of making history, trailing Terry Francona (2,072) and AJ Hinch (1,001) for the most wins among active managers.
He would be the only manager other than Walter Alston, Tommy Lasorda, and Wilbert Robinson to win 1,000 games with the Dodgers.
“It’s a big number,” Roberts said. “It’s something I never really thought of. … I don’t take a lot of time to look at milestones because I just kind of go day to day.
“But I’m going to take that one in. Because it’s a long time, it’s a lot of really good players and coaches, and a lot of support.”
What makes Dave Roberts special?
Freddie Freeman, one of the more veteran Dodgers on the team in terms of MLB experience, has earned a key voice in Dave Roberts’ inner circle within the locker room.
While other players have spent more time under Roberts’ management, Freeman has seen a good deal of what the skipper does behind the scenes.
Speaking with Maddie Lee of the LA Times, Freeman detailed how impactful Roberts has been with all that comes with being a manager in the city of Los Angeles.
“To be the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, so much pressure, so much expectations, to have Doc as our manager leading it, I don’t think there’s anybody that could do what he does,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said.
“He cares about people. His door’s always open. Being a manager is obviously managing baseball, but it’s more about managing egos. You have 26 players, you have all the coaching staff, support staff — and our clubhouse runs smoothly, and that’s because of Dave Roberts.”
As someone who has maintained a good relationship with the front office and just about every player to walk into the organization, Roberts’ importance cannot be overstated.
