It’s been four years since the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in Arlington, Texas, celebrating in front of a half-empty stadium. There was no parade, no big celebration – just a shortened season during a global pandemic, which left the championship feeling somewhat incomplete.

For manager Dave Roberts, this season felt like a make-or-break moment for his career. According to The Athletic, “Roberts acknowledged this month that there was a feeling he was doing a good job this postseason. That is the nature of the occupation.”

Now he joins an elite group of managers with at least four pennants, joining legends like Earl Weaver, Sparky Anderson, Bobby Cox, Joe Torre and Tommy Lasorda.

But that 2020 win came in a bubble, and Roberts is hungry for more.

“I know we have a championship in our pocket,” Roberts said. “There is still a certain emptiness. I want that parade. I just feel like we’ve had teams in the past, I’ve grown and this team is unique. I think it’s been put to the test. For this baseball club and for this city, I really want to finish it this year.”

Despite many moments when it seemed like everything was going to fall apart, Roberts kept this team on track. Even in tough times, he assured them that it would all come together.

“It was one time when we felt like we were in trouble as a team,” Teoscar Hernández said this week. “And one meeting changed everything.”

Andrew Friedman echoed that sentiment: “I think there were times during the year where some of the injuries we had were a little bit deflating. And I think Doc has done a great job of championing that and pumping some enthusiasm and optimism into the group. It was fast. They flushed it quickly. And came out focused the next day.”

“(He) doesn’t let down when times get tough – and we’ve had a lot of tough times,” team president Stan Kasten said.

This Dodgers team has also leaned on unlikely heroes. Tommy Edman got hot in the NLCS, eventually ending up on the mop-up while Will Smith was batting at the eighth spot.

Now they are just one win away from that long-awaited parade.

“Honestly, it’s trying to treat every guy the same and fairly and build trust,” Roberts said. “I think you can ask any guy on this team, they trust me, they trust our staff. If you have that, you can ask anything from them. That’s it. This has been the most difficult year, but also the most rewarding.”

Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn images

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