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The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in 2024 in five games over the New York Yankees. While their Fall Classic dominance is remembered, they were facing elimination during the playoffs. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told USA Today's Bob Nightengale he was fearing his job when they were down to the San Diego Padres in the NLDS. But when Miguel Rojas told him he could not play, his response did not show any doubt.
“'Miggy, we’re going to win the World Series this year, and we’re going to win it next year together.’ That was really special because we were one game away from not even making out of the NLDS, and he’s got the confidence on his team that we were going to win. You read the message, and you don’t believe it until it’s starting to happen,” Rojas told Nightengale.
Roberts was right and the Dodgers went 10-3 from that point forward to win the World Series. Rojas came back for just one game, Game 2 of the World Series, and went 0-3. But the message was the more important part.
Now, Roberts was among the highest-paid coaches in professional sports and leading a super team with championship expectations.
The Dodgers just keep getting better
Until he took the Dodgers managerial job in 2016, Roberts was most remembered for stealing second base in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. That was the catalyst for the first 3-0 series comeback in MLB history and it felt impossible to ever outlive that title. And who would want to? But now he'll be remembered as the guy who killed the Yankees and the guy who led the dynasty that could challenge that group.
After that triumphant championship, the Dodgers kept adding in free agency. They added two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and highly-touted rookie Roki Sasaki to their rotation. Shohei Ohtani is going to pitch again this season, adding another facet to his elite offensive game. They brought back all of the recurring characters, like Kike Hernandez and Tommy Edman, and have the Hollywood stars comparable to a Marvel movie.
With job security and an elite team, Roberts will likely be sending similar texts this season. But nothing is guaranteed in baseball, especially in October. The Dodgers almost lost to the Padres in the five-game series last year. Any team with a great pitcher, like Corbin Burnes and the Diamondbacks, could steal three games from Los Angeles.
