In the lead-up to Game 6 of the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers looked down for the count and on the verge of failing to defend their title.
Before the game, however, the team was having fun at the expense of their manager, Dave Roberts. He raced utilityman Hyeseong Kim from first base to third at Rogers Centre.
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He got a head start graciously from Kim, who is known for elite speed, though Roberts ended up tripping and face-planting, and he grabbed his hamstring as he got up.
“That will be the last full sprint I ever do in my life,” Roberts said after the fall when speaking to the media.
“I got some meds in me. I’m still going to post. I’m probable. … Not my best decision, but it worked out.”
Miguel Rojas, the Gold-Glove-nominated infielder, highlighted the impact that the moment had at the time, showing the lengths Roberts would go to bring the team together.
“It’s all over social media on the biggest stage of the year,” Miguel Rojas said. “Right before a Game 6 facing elimination, this guy is on the ground with his uniform full of dirt, and he’s not backing away from it. So that’s what it tells you about Doc, and he’ll do anything for this group to spark the team.”
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The Dodgers went on to win the World Series, capturing both elimination games with their backs firmly against the wall on the road.
In the aftermath of the World Series, Roberts opened up about his fall again and shared his goal when competing with Kim.
“My plan was to make everyone laugh, which it worked. But I didn’t plan to fall on my face and I hurt my hamstring, but in that situation, I felt we needed to have some fun and guys need to relax and loosen up,” Roberts told NHK, a Japanese news outlet.
Additionally, Rojas added that it became the main topic of conversation at a dinner before Game 6, which swung the momentum back to the Dodgers.
“That night we had a dinner and that was the only conversation that we had. Everyone was talking about it. We were in different spaces, but everyone was there, which talks a lot about the commitment and sacrifices everyone was making,” Rojas told NHK.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
