By Jordan Long
The L.A. Dodgers finished the regular season with the best record in baseball at 111-51. Unfortunately for them, they lost in the Division Series to the San Diego Padres in 4 games, outscored in the series 15-12. Despite the early exit, Dodgers’ Manager Dave Roberts will return in 2023.
Roberts has been the Manager of the Dodgers since 2016. All the Dodgers have done in that time is win. His overall record is 653-380 as manager of the Dodgers, a winning percentage of .632. The Dodgers have never missed a postseason with Roberts as manager. They of course went on to win the National League Pennant 3 times while winning the World Series in 2020.
This year, the Dodgers had high expectations of winning the World Series. Of course, they fell short of that. In the playoff series loss to the Padres, the Dodgers weren’t able to pitch effectively. The team era was 3.71. When it came to the starting pitching, they couldn’t set the tone. The Padres hitters were able to key on pitches for base hits and score runs. They ended with an ERA of 3.86.
The bullpen was going to be the strength of this ball club. In the regular season, the relievers ERA ended at 2.87, 2nd best in all of Major League Baseball. That was going to carry this team in the postseason. Unfortunately, when Roberts went to the bullpen in the postseason, they couldn’t keep the Padres from scoring. Their ERA was 3.57.
When game 4 came to a close, there were rumors Roberts might be fired. It was the 1st time since 2019 Roberts failed to manage them to the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers haven’t been to the World Series since 2020 when they won it all. Roberts isn’t going anywhere though. The Dodgers announced Roberts is back to manage the team in 2023.
This is a smart move for the Dodgers. Roberts has been very successful as manager of the Dodgers. The Dodgers failed to meet expectations in the postseason but they finished the regular season with MLB’s best record. It would have been a surprise if they let him go because of how successful Roberts has been as Manager of the Dodgers. If the Dodgers let Roberts go he would have been high on the list for teams who have managerial openings.
Now that Roberts is going to stay for 2023, the Dodgers can focus on how to make this team even better. Sure, having the top record in MLB is great but it doesn’t mean anything unless they would have won the World Series. They are going to be competitive next year and in the mix to win the National League West Division. At worst they will be a Wild Card team in 2023. Once they reach the postseason, the goal has to be to win the World Series. If it is another early postseason exit, then changes have to come including firing Roberts.
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