It’s time to give Dave Roberts his flowers

There was a time when some fans in Los Angeles rolled their eyes when Dave Roberts appeared on their television screens. They questioned every managerial decision and pointed the finger at him any time the Dodgers lost a game.

From the outside looking in, you might have thought the highest-paid team in Major League Baseball was being managed by the least qualified person in the sport.

The running narrative was that the Dodgers had not won a World Series since 1988 simply because the man pulling the strings in October was bad at his job. The same man who, before winning in 2020, had won 393 regular-season games while reaching the World Series twice in 4 tries.

Even after capturing his first World Series title in 2020, the doubt lingered in people’s minds. Roberts won during a shortened 60-game season, and his club’s talent level was off the charts.

Jump forward to the 2026 MLB postseason, and Dave Roberts’ legacy as a manager is undeniable. He is and will be remembered as one of the greatest, and entering the last 3 Octobers, there is no manager in baseball you would rather have leading your team.

Roberts, now seeking a 4th championship, is 1 of 11 managers to have 3 World Series titles. He ranks 6th all-time in career win percentage and has over 400 more wins than any of the names ahead of him, all of whom did not manage a game after 1948.

Sure, point to the fact that he is attached to the most expensive, star-studded roster, maybe in the history of the game. So were most of the greats. At the end of the day, someone still has to get the players to go out there and play well.

“I guess I am in some rare air, some good company. There have been a lot of good players, and this is a great organization. There are a lot of things that we have to go through each year, and we just continue to remain steadfast and play on, but it is something to be proud of,” said Roberts.

Just in the past few years, we have seen teams as talented as the Dodgers miss the playoffs entirely. The New York Mets, for example, who have spent just as much money on their team as the Dodgers over the past 2 seasons, have missed the postseason both years and are under .500 during the stretch.

Even running a stacked team with sky-high expectations is difficult, and Roberts has made it look easy.

His teams never get too high or too low. His players and staff stay the course, giving the franchise the best chance to win.

Every move Roberts has made over the last 2 postseason runs for Los Angeles has paid off. Just looking at Game 7 of the 2026 World Series alone, we saw Roberts’ brilliance on full display.

He inserted Miguel Rojas into the lineup, and the guy who had barely played during the playoffs went on to tie the game with a home run in the top of the 9th inning. He also put Andy Pages, another player who had rarely been on the field, in the game in the bottom of the 9th, and Pages went on to make the famous game-saving catch over Kike Hernandez.

“In the postseason, what I have learned is that it is not about the numbers; ultimately, you have to trust your players. My job is to know the players. It is not to know statistics; it is about knowing the heartbeat of the player, and I do believe that to win 11 or 13 games in October, you have to trust your players and know your players,” said Roberts.

He followed those 2 moves up by turning to his starting pitcher from the day before, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to close out the game and secure the win.

All 3 moves would have drawn criticism if the Dodgers had not won that game, and they ultimately swung the momentum in Los Angeles’s favor.

“It is all gut. It is the eye test. People can’t get off the analytics for some reason. These are people that are stuck in their ways and are never going to change. People who really know the game and watch the game know it is about coaches knowing and trusting their players,” said Roberts.

Roberts has proven he has what it takes to make the right calls in the moment, but his best skill is the confidence he gives his players. He is one of the best motivators in baseball and keeps his team together as well as anyone can across all major sports. This is the most valuable trait in a manager for a team like the Dodgers and is a major reason for their prolonged, consistent success.

Now entering Game 3 of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers find themselves tied 1-1 against the Atlanta Braves. Los Angeles needs to find a way to bounce back after the bats went quiet in Game 2. Roberts will have his men ready.

“I think our guys are pretty well trained to focus on the here and now, and what’s done is done. We are all aware we have the chance to do something that has never been done in the National League and what it would mean for this franchise and fanbase,” said Roberts.

One loss is nothing to get down on when you play for the manager of the Dodgers. There are ups and downs during this long journey, and Roberts knows that. His players will come back ready to take care of business on the road as they continue their quest for 3 straight World Series championships.