Red Sox: World Series is a must-win for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts
Former Red Sox star Dave Roberts once again in the World Series
So, you might be asking yourself why you’re reading an article about current Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on a Red Sox blog, well, I’ll tell ya. We all know the history of Roberts with this organization as we just celebrated the anniversary of the steal heard round the world. The swipe that helped kick off the greatest comeback in baseball history and delivered Boston their first World Series championship in 86 years.
Fast-forward what feels like an eternity and Roberts is now the skipper of the incredibly successful Dodgers and is once again in the World Series, their third trip in the last four years. It wasn’t too long ago that we ran into our old friend as the Dodgers and Red Sox were on a collision course in 2018 as two of the best teams in the league. That course came to a head as they did collide in the Fall Classic where Boston would walk away as the decisive winner in 3-1 fashion.
In that series though, Roberts would make some seriously questionable decisions in regards to his relievers that would allow the Red Sox to pounce and seemingly never look back. As I said, 2021 is their third trip to the Series in four years, they haven’t won in any of those previous visits despite being a dominant team all season long. This brings me to the reason why I’m writing this and why you may be reading it. How would another LA loss in the World Series affect the Red Sox going forward?
How a Dodgers World Series loss could affect the Red Sox going forward
Here we are, the big crux of an out of place Dodgers article on the Red Sox blog. Boston needs a new manager, and though Alex Cora seems to be the favorite among the fans, ownership, and even players, it isn’t a sure thing. Nobody knows what’s going on in Chaim Bloom’s head and he may want to stay clear of the Cora debacle from earlier this year. Who better than a guy that has proven that he can get a team to the World Series damn near every year?
Now, bringing Roberts back to Boston would mean that he’d have to get fired from the Dodgers or decided to leave Hollywood on his own accord. Considering he has a murderer’s row of a lineup and everyone seems pretty happy there, I doubt he’d want to willingly walk away from that cushy spot. So, he’d need to be let go, which doesn’t sound like too odd of an occurrence.
How often do we see managers or coaches in professional sports get fired for far less in a much shorter time span? Roberts has been leading the Dodgers since 2016 and has seen great success, but he’s also shown that he can’t win the big one. Wait, why would the Red Sox want him then? Great question loyal reader! Because Boston’s ownership group is in desperate need of good PR right now and bringing back a hero from 2004, that has been in three of the last four World Series, would achieve that goal.
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As much as the fans, I included, love and want Cora back, Chaim may want his own guy. And for the Dodgers ownership, how many times are you going to pour a fortune into this roster and not walk away with the Commissioner’s Trophy? Yeah, it’s great that the team makes it there so frequently and is often the division winner, but not getting the biggest prize after so much dominance will test their patience.
Now, this all comes as a gigantic hypothetical as the Dodgers won Game 1 of the World Series in a commanding fashion last night. With Game 2 on the horizon for tonight, they very well could give themselves a comfortable lead against a young Tampa Bay Rays team. If Roberts does finally coach his squad over the hill and brings home the Commissioner’s Trophy then this is all for naught and we’re back to being 100% on the Cora train. But back to my premise, another collapse in October could lead to DR looking for a new home, and what better place than Fenway Park?
Next. Vazquez supports a Cora return. dark
Dave Roberts was a hell of a player and has proven to be an even better manager. As the Red Sox look to regroup and redirect the ship after a miserable season, they’d be lucky to have someone of his caliber leading the way. It would be a longshot and would require a collapse of epic proportions in order to get him in Boston, but a spotty track record in October keeps it within reach. I hope he can finally get the big win and shake the ghosts of World Series past as he’s more than earned his chance to once again raise some silverware.