If three World Series championships and one of the best winning percentages of all-time weren’t enough to convince the general public of the greatness of Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, then perhaps his most recent achievement will seal the deal.
Roberts became the 69th manager in MLB history to reach 1,000 career wins. Roberts achieved the feat in his 1,606th game as a manager, the fewest in MLB history.
The accomplishment made for a heartfelt moment on the field and inside the clubhouse. Roberts thanked his players and those who have had a hand in his reaching 1,000 wins as a manager.
Dodgers players congratulate Dave Roberts
Mookie Betts
One of the best qualities of the Dodgers’ skipper is his ability to manage people and forge meaningful relationships, which was evident in the way his players speak of him.
“He’s a special person. He is my manager, but I don’t really see him that way. I see him like a baseball dad, to be honest,” Mookie Betts said on SportsNet LA. “He’s just always there emotionally, physically. He’s awesome with our kids, our wives, knows everybody’s name. He’s so much more than just a manager.”
It only took Betts a couple of seasons into his Dodgers career to recognize Roberts’ talents. The 33-year-old said his manager’s ability to help the team navigate injuries, slumps and other adversity earned his admiration.
“When we’re not playing well, he kind of lets us do our thing until he feels a need to step in,” Betts explained. “When he does step in, his voice is definitely heard. It’s not like a coach-to-player thing. It’s more like dad-to-sons type thing, so I think it resonates a lot more and we all appreciate it.”
Although some might question Roberts’ success because of the talented rosters he has managed, Betts challenged that notion.
“Yeah, I would definitely say it’s probably the reverse. It makes it harder,” Betts said of guiding a team full of star power. “It’s probably easy to write a lineup, for sure, but to manage so many personalities, injuries, guys coming up, guys going down, it’s a lot.
“Especially losing. We’ve been through our stretches where we weren’t playing well, and it was kind of the other way, ‘Oh, you got this roster and you’re still losing.’ He just kind of handled it with grace and we still come out on top. Yeah, it’s probably easy writing the lineup but to manage it for 162-plus is really hard to do.”
Tommy Edman
That sentiment was one Tommy Edman echoed.
“I think his ability to keep things light. Throughout the course of a season, 162 games can be a grind,” Edman said. “You definitely go through a lot of ups and downs, and he just does such a good job of balancing that and allowing everyone to feel comfortable.
“Allowing everyone to perform as best as they can, I think that’s the big thing. He’s a really easy guy to communicate with and a really easy guy to play for.”
Miguel Rojas
Roberts’ ability to command respect from a clubhouse leader like Miguel Rojas also speaks volumes.
“It’s something that makes us really proud and happy for him because of everything he means to the organization. Not just on the field, but off the field as well,” Rojas said. “I always try to be loud with my voice, telling people how good of a person he is off the field.
“It’s not easy to be in that job with this organization for a long time. He deserves it, and we’re truly happy for him.”
Teoscar Hernández
The 54-year-old’s world-class reputation has even spread beyond the Dodgers organization to every corner of the MLB community. For a relative newcomer like Teoscar Hernández, firsthand experience with Roberts has been eye-opening.
“Now that I’ve been here for three years, I know why players that play for him talk so good about him,” Hernández said. “He’s amazing. He is the best manager I’ve ever had in my career, Minor Leagues and the big leagues. He deserves everything.”
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