WEST SACRAMENTO –– The cheers began with the final out, continued through the Dodgers’ postgame handshake line, and didn’t end until the man of the night had walked all the way off the field.
With the Dodgers’ 9-3 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night, Dave Roberts became the 69th manager in MLB history to win 1,000 career games, and reached the mark faster than anyone else to previously enter the club.
A grand accomplishment. An historic milestone. And a moment not lost on the Dodger-heavy crowd of 12,387 at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento –– many of whom stuck around to serenade the skipper as he smiled and waved on his way back to the left field clubhouse.
“I know people say the word surreal a lot, but it is surreal,” Roberts said once he arrived back in his office, following a champagne toast with his players and celebratory embraces with practically all of the team’s traveling party. “Because you take a step back and look at the body of work, it’s been a fun ride. It really has.”
This, of course, wasn’t the setting Roberts would have been expecting his landmark moment to come in, on a nondescript Tuesday night at the triple-A ballpark the Athletics are temporarily calling home.
Then again, reaching 1,000 wins was not something Roberts foresaw when he was hired as a first-time manager by the Dodgers before the 2016 season, either, unable to imagine the run of success that has followed.
“That’s a long time of consistent winning, let alone keeping a job for 11 years,” he said jokingly. “That’s just kind of the life I chose. But yeah, to kind of put your head down and look back and go, ‘Oh my god, I’m here,’ it’s mind-blowing. I still feel like I’m getting better, and I still enjoy it.”
In his 11th season helming the Dodgers, and only his 1,606th at the top step of the dugout, Roberts watched his team record career win No. 1,000 in relative easy fashion Tuesday, getting to kick back and relax as he added another accolade to his future Hall of Fame resume.
The Dodgers removed the pretense of drama early, jumping to a two-run lead in the top of the first inning. They broke the game on a three-run home run from Tommy Edman in the third (part of his four-hit, four-RBI night) and a solo blast from Miguel Rojas in the sixth (the first of his two RBIs). And they kept piling on from there, providing Justin Wrobleski plenty of support in his seven-inning, three-run start –– which included a career-high 11 strikeouts –– while cruising to a series-clinching win that continues their push for a third-straight World Series.
“What makes a good coach? You have good players,” Roberts quipped.
Still, for all the star-studded talent that has populated his rosters over the years, Roberts’ upbeat and ever-positive touch has been equally important in bringing it all together.
“He’s a special person,” shortstop Mookie Betts said before the game. “He is my manager, but I just don’t really see him that way. I see him more as like a baseball dad, to be honest. He’s always there … He’s so much more than just a manager.”
During his tenure with the club, the 54-year-old Roberts has overseen nine division titles, five National League pennants and three World Series titles.
That track record is nearly unmatched in Dodgers history. Only Walter Alston won more World Series with four. Only Alston, Tommy Lasorda and Walter Robinson racked up more wins.
None of them, of course, matched Roberts’ MLB-record .622 winning percentage. And none of them have racked up as many rings as quickly as he has over the last six years, helping the Dodgers cement their modern-day dynasty while burnishing his future Hall of Fame resume.
“You play this game for so long, you coach it, you think you know a lot, but I’ve learned a lot more coaching than I ever thought I did before taking this job of manager,” Roberts said. “And yeah, it’s fleeting. You just never know when it could be taken away. So every day, I love being the manager of the Dodgers.”
What it means
Roberts had tried to downplay his pursuit of history leading up to Tuesday’s accomplishment.
His players, however, had offered plenty of anticipatory praise.
Before Tuesday’s game, Betts described Roberts’ ability to connect to players and manage personalities and relationships as his biggest strength.
“Again, it’s not like a coach-to-player thing. It’s more like a dad-to-son type thing,” he said. “So I think it resonates a lot more. I think we all appreciate it.”
Rojas echoed those sentiments, arguing that Roberts has gone underappreciated, if anything, during the Dodgers’ rise to dynasty status.
“I think people will realize when he retires, and when he doesn’t want to manage anymore, how good of a manager he was for one of the best teams of this generation,” Rojas said.
Who’s hot
Roberts claimed he doesn’t “do great with being celebrated.”
But he soaked up the scene Tuesday after the final out was recorded.
First, he exchanged hugs with the entirety of his coaching staff, going down a line with each one in the dugout. Then, he did the same with all of his players as they went through a line of high fives out on the field.
“There was just so many people that are a part of this whole ride, that it’s a team kind of accomplishment, milestone,” Roberts said. “And I truly believe that. I’ve been very fortunate to be around a lot of great people.”
As Roberts turned back toward the dugout, a raucous ovation from the crowd was awaiting him, prompting him to doff his cap several times and wave it with a smile.
“It seemed like a home game tonight and last night here,” Roberts said. “Everyone in the stands knew about it, which was great. And it’s a good feeling. Happy it’s over. Happy we got it done.”
During the clubhouse toast, both Rojas and Freddie Freeman stood up to address the room, delivering what Roberts described as “heartfelt” speeches in recognition of his accomplishment.
The thing they said that will stick with him the most?
“That I care more about them as people than I do as players,” he said.
Added Rojas: “This guy is a human being that cares about everybody, and it shows every single day.”
Who’s not
No answer here.
Roberts’ 1,000th win came amid one of the Dodgers’ best stretches of the season, with the club winning its fourth-straight game and 11th out of the last 14, improving its MLB-best record to 56-30.
The Dodgers also finished June with a season-best 18-9 record, maintaining a double-digit game lead in the National League West division.
Up next
Roberts will begin his march for another 1,000 wins on Wednesday, when the Dodgers will employ a bullpen game –– after pushing back Shohei Ohtani’s originally scheduled start –– as they go for a series sweep of the Athletics, who will turn to right-hander JT Ginn (6-4, 3.25 ERA).
