Roberts ready to let past slide
Dodgers manager works to define himself beyond famous stolen base
Dave Roberts found the note after his flight home to San Diego. In the fall of 2004, Roberts and the rest of the Boston Red Sox had paraded down the banks of the Charles River to christen an improbable championship. Roberts was a role player on the team, but he relished his contributions. He did not realize their magnitude until he saw the message left on his suitcase by a baggage handler at Logan International Airport.
“You’re going to be a Red Sox legend forever,” it read.
Roberts had played six seasons in the major leagues, and he would play four more, but his place in baseball lore became anchored on Oct.17, 2004. He was the man who stole the base that sparked the comeback that ended the Curse of the Bambino. When he swiped second and scored in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, Boston staved off elimination. The Red Sox overcame a three-games-to-none deficit to defeat the New York Yankees, then ended an 86-year World Series drought.
Roberts never played again for Boston. For years, he still heard grateful messages from members of Red Sox Nation, the club’s legion of fans. The outpouring of affection overwhelmed and humbled him. He felt gratitude for his place in the sport’s culture.
The play was even referenced in a 2014 episode of the animated series BoJack Horseman. Yet after he retired, and after he spent a year as a broadcaster in Boston, Roberts yearned for more. He did not want his legacy to be one stolen base.
So began the journey that led him to the Dodgers dugout, where he was to be when the World Series began on Tuesday at Fenway Park. In his third season as manager, Roberts hopes to shepherd the Dodgers to their first championship since 1988.
“This is something that I plan on doing for quite some time,” Roberts said. “To lead an organization like the Dodgers to a championship is something I’d also like to be known for.”
He added: “And now it’s come full circle. We have a chance to meet again. You can’t script it any better.”
The homecoming adds another layer of incentive as the Dodgers pursue the elusive title and Roberts pursues a capstone for his managerial resume. Roberts won National League Manager of the Year in his debut season of 2016. During the last two years, he became the first Dodgers manager since Tom Lasorda in 1977 and 1978 to lead the franchise to back-toback pennants.
The 2017 season ended in heartbreak, with a loss in Game 7 of the World Series to Houston. Roberts guided the team through a shaky start this spring and a late-summer slump to win a sixth consecutive National League West title, and then defeat Milwaukee in the National League Championship Series last week.
In Los Angeles, Roberts has weathered a variety of storms. He absorbs criticisms for his bullpen machinations and lineup alterations. He understands what a championship would mean for the Dodgers, both the franchise and its fans. He lived it in Boston.
“He had a really good career, but he was going to be known for a stolen base in Game 4 of the ALCS,” former Red Sox executive Jed Hoyer said.
“And now he’s had such a great managing career —and he’s only going to get better from here. It’s wonderful to have a second thing to be known as.
“He’ll always have the stolen base. And now he’s only added to that.”