Shohei Ohtani Has Nothing But Praise for Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts

Each year when the Los Angeles Dodgers fall short of winning a World Series, fans call in to radio shows or hide behind their keyboards calling for Dave Roberts’ head. This season, the negative criticisms have come three months early because of the team’s recent skid heading into the All-Star break.

Superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani disagrees.

“I think he’s a manager who has a lot of conversations with players individually,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “I myself, there are many areas with which he’s helped me.”

Ohtani describes his relationship with Roberts as “wonderful” and applauds the skipper’s professionalism.

“As one of the top commanders on the team, I think the manager approaches every game with focus,” he said.

The Dodgers leadoff hitter is expecting more questions about Roberts as the season inches closer to a conclusion especially, as he experiences a pennant chase for the first time in his career. He never played in a single playoff game with the Los Angeles Angels and understands that the Dodgers fans are demanding. If there isn’t a World Series title, the season is considered a failure.

“Of course, only one team wins every year,” he said. “I think every other team thinks they failed. On that point, I think it’s no different for the teams that advanced to the playoffs and the teams that didn’t.”

With 64 regular season games left on the schedule, Ohtani’s first taste of October baseball is approaching but the responsibility of getting there and being the last team standing should be on the players, not the manager.

“We have to do our best each and every game to respond to the expectations of the fans and the manager,” he said.

Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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