Dodgers division title is another triumph for Dave Roberts

Columnist

Sept. 26, 2024 Updated 10:52 PM PT

The celebration on the field was subdued, no dogpile, no dancing, just veteran champions acting like champions.

The Dodgers clinched their 11th National League West title in 12 years Thursday night at Dodger Stadium like they expect to be here, firm handshakes, light hugs, the usual Randy Newman soundtrack accompanying the usual relieved smiles.

Except, wait a minute, who was that small, stocky man bouncing out of the pack and suddenly leading cheers?

Of course. It was Dodger manager Dave Roberts. This is his team. This is his town. This has been his season.

“Best fans in the world! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Roberts shouted while waving his division championship hat to the roaring fans after the Dodgers’ 7-2 clinching victory over the San Diego Padres.

Mookie Betts ran up to Roberts and wrapped him in a hug.

“I love you, baby,” shouted Roberts and, believe it, Roberts has managed this team with that love.

Later in the clubhouse Roberts addressed his players with, “No one said this was going to be easy! You’ve been through hell and back and I want to thank you guys for all sticking together, believing in one another and I promise you this! No team we face is going to have more fight than us.”

Moments later, they popped the Champagne.

Drink up, Doc.

This was your best season yet.

He gave that speech to his players, but he could have been talking about himself. He’s been through hell and back and no manager they face is going to have more fight than him.

Granted, some readers are going to be enraged with that statement, baffled that anyone would openly applaud the most embattled nine-year manager in Dodger history.

The Dodgers are NL West Champions for the 11th time in 12 years. But can they get to the World Series this year?

Deal with it. Saddled with monumental distractions, hampered with countless injuries, faced with real job insecurity, Roberts slid head-first into the challenges of 2024 and popped up as if he was standing on second base in Boston.

The weight of Shohei Ohtani, the whiplash of Betts, the woeful starting pitching, all of it was deftly handled by a manager who has won eight division titles in his nine seasons.

“They all feel sweet but I’ll tell you, man, with what we’ve done this year, this feels a tick sweeter,” said Roberts.

Think about that. Roberts has been the manager here for nearly a decade and only once has he not won a division title, and even that time, the Dodgers finished second by a game.

Like him or not, rip him if you must, second-guess him as you will, the 2024 regular season proved without a doubt that Roberts is in the perfect spot in the perfect city for the perfect team.

He wins here. He thrives here. He belongs here.

“I’m just so proud of these guys, the way they fought through adversity, stuck together, found a way to win this division again, it was hard fought, we earned it,” Roberts said.

He is becoming Tommy Lasorda without the bluster, and this season he’s never been better at creating a blue heaven on Earth.

Dodgers players and coaches pose for a group photo on the field

And understand, those above words were written less than 48 hours after his most pilloried move of the year.

This happened Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres, when Roberts controversially took off the bunt sign for Miguel Rojas after one strike and the shortstop promptly hit into a game-ending triple play, leaving the great Ohtani stewing on deck and the Dodgers’ title hopes briefly on the brink.

C’mon, people. Roberts is now supposed to manage as if trying to stay out of a triple play? That’s absurd. Bunting or not, even with his weakest swing, the assumed worst case scenario would be Rojas hitting into a double play, and Ohtani would have still been given a chance to tie up what became a Padres’ 4-2 victory.

Roberts was victimized by a perfect storm, which should not ruin the way he has smartly navigated this season.

Roberts’ strength has always been in keeping his players cool and focused amid the constant distractions that plague Hollywood’s team. He is the Dodgers’ smiling face for sponsors, their calming voice for the media, and a protective blanket for his constantly unsettled clubhouse.

This season he’s needed to be all of that, and he has.

The craziness began with the $700-million offseason acquisition of Ohtani, a presence so big he immediately overshadowed the entire organization and threatened to eclipse Roberts’ influence, as evidenced by his introductory news conference.

Sitting on the stage with Ohtani were Dodgers officials Mark Walter and Andrew Friedman, Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo and then-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.

Where was Roberts? He had been exiled to the audience with the several hundred media members, a perceived message about his importance to the future of this organization. Combined with the fact that Ohtani didn’t include the manager in contract language that assured Friedman and Walter’s future, Roberts’ situation seemed particularly tenuous.

To all that, add the enormous extra worldwide attention and unwieldy presence that comes with Ohtani on a daily basis, and Roberts could have melted down before the season even started.

He didn’t. He only got stronger. He only became more charming, patiently answering every Ohtani question with confidence and direction, deferring to his star while making it clear Roberts was still the boss.

Then when the scandal broke revealing Mizuhara had stolen $16 million from Ohtani for gambling purposes? Roberts never changed, backing the innocent Ohtani at every angle, creating an atmosphere where his star felt comfortable to shine through the clouded mess.

The Ohtani Affair was only the beginning. Days before the start of the season, Roberts was handed Mookie Madness.

You see, it was the manager who was charged with overseeing Gold Glove right fielder Betts’ sudden move to shortstop, a position he had barely played in the major leagues. Roberts had to keep Betts’ spirits up as he struggled in the field, and so he did, enough that Betts got off to an All-Star start at the plate. Then, later in the season, when a frustrated Betts was suddenly moved back to right field, Roberts was there again with a strong shoulder and understanding tone.

Some seasons Roberts had simply directed or overseen. This season, he truly managed, from Ohtani to Betts to every veteran in that clubhouse that became annoyed with the attention that suddenly descended on their every move. He hid their frustration. He voiced their concern. He handled it.

If it seems like Roberts is too Pollyanna, well, for some players, it works. Take Gavin Lux, who struggled early in his comeback from knee surgery but who eventually rewarded Roberts’ consistent public faith by making huge contributions late in the season.

Even when things were truly awful — how about all those pitching injuries? — Roberts kept a steady focus. He never showed panic while losing their top two pitchers for much of the summer, and patiently delivered each injury update like everything was going to be just fine.

On Thursday, it became official, everything was just fine, the Dodgers are not only the National League West champs but also the team with the best record in baseball.

“Inside the clubhouse, we’ve dealt with a lot … but yeah, we’ve still had a pretty good season,” said Roberts.

Roberts has had a pretty great season, and, barring a third straight postseason meltdown, here’s guessing Dodger officials will recognize that and reward him with an appropriate contract extension this winter.

At least 100 wins in five of eight full seasons? A winning percentage virtually unmatched at the start of a career? And, oh, a World Series championship and two World Series appearances?

Yeah, fine, you fire him.

In a scene that epitomized Roberts’ season, he came to the mound in late May to ostensibly remove visibly struggling journeyman reliever Yohan Ramirez from the game after he had hit four of his last eight batters dating back to a previous appearance.

But Roberts didn’t give Ramirez the hook. Instead, he gave him the hug, pulling him close and whispering in his ear in a scene that went viral.

“He’s emotional and cares, and he’s trying to impress with a new ball club,” Roberts explained later. “I just tried to reassure him and give him some confidence, love on him a little bit, and try to take a little bit of pressure off.”

Roberts added, “You just see the player, and you kind of feel what he’s got going on in his brain, in his heart, all that stuff. Sometimes I’m sure — I’ve never thrown a major league inning — but you feel like you’re on an island. So I wanted to show that we were all behind him.”

It worked. Ramirez proceeded to escape a bases-loaded jam, and in his next 14 appearances recorded a 1.65 ERA with 15 strikeouts and four walks before being sent packing at the end of July.

This was just one win in a season filled with them for Doc, on call for eight division titles in nine years and counting.