It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Dave Roberts during his 10 seasons as Los Angeles Dodgers manager.
Guiding his club to dominant records during the regular season, and high levels of postseason success as well, has come with relative ease. But winning the final game of the season had eluded Roberts until recently. Roberts won his first World Series as a manager in 2020, his second in 2024 and is now four wins away from a third.
While the championship success is worthy of praise, just getting to the World Series at the rate Roberts has been able to sets him apart. With this most recent trip to the Fall Classic, Roberts became the first manager in the modern era (since 1901) to win five pennants in his first 10 seasons as manager.
Roberts surpassed Cincinnati Reds skipper Sparky Anderson and legendary Dodgers manager Walter Alston, who each had four pennants in their first 10 seasons.
The realization came as a shock to Roberts, but he was honored to be mentioned in the same breath as the two titans of the managerial trade.
“Great, great company. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that one,” he said. “I just kind of try to do my job the best I can and do it for the game, for the players, for our fans.
“And all that stuff sort of accrues. But, yeah, I love our game, I love the Dodgers. And I’m going to keep trying to do the best for this organization and this city.
“But when you mentioned Alston and Sparky, those are names that you never imagine yourself in that same conversation.”
Roberts’ first nine seasons as a manager earned him a record contract extension from the Dodgers. The new deal is worth $32.4 million and keeps Roberts under contract through the 2025 season.
The contract’s average annual value of $8.1 million is the highest a manager has ever received in MLB history.
Dave Roberts longest-tenured NL manager
Bob Melvin and Brian Snitker were among six managers relieved of their duties at some point this year, which leaves Roberts the longest-tenured manager in National League.
Melvin spent 22 seasons as a manager with the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. Snitker spent the past 10 seasons with the Atlanta Braves.
“They were all, in different forms, mentors,” Roberts said. “I’ve taken a piece of each one of those guys. I really have. And I’m very grateful for that.
“I think I’ve grown. I think I’m continuing to grow, want to grow, get better. They’re great baseball men. They love the game of baseball, and they’ve impacted the game in a positive way.
“I sort of feel that responsibility again to kind of keep what they started and guys before them started, to keep this thing going and making it about the players and the fans and do things the right way.”
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