MLB WORLD SERIES: YANKEES VS DODGERS

October 30, 2024

Dave Roberts

Yankee Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Postgame 5 Press Conference

Dodgers - 7, Yankees - 6

Q. Dave, how can you describe what that game was like to go through and how you felt at the end?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, I definitely didn't plan it out this way. Certainly a lot of emotions from the way it started to certainly the way it finished. I'm just so grateful to be in this chair, and what our guys did, the resilience, the fight that they had.

Certainly all the momentum was on the side of the Yankees, and Gerrit was throwing the heck out of the baseball. For us to keep scratching and clawing, we were just kind of to the last guy available. To see what Walker did, what Blake did, all those guys, and the big at-bats to get us back in the game was huge.

Q. What was the fifth inning like when they started making mistakes? Did your guys sense it was the opportunity to make something happen?

DAVE ROBERTS: Yeah, we did. Obviously the inning before, Aaron makes a great play off of Freddie's bat. Just didn't make a play right there. We just got a break on covering first base, so we got a couple of extra outs.

It's just good when you give a good team extra outs. It was great for us to take advantage of it.

Q. How long was Walker going to be able to go? Was there a situation where you -- was it just an inning with a side day thing?

DAVE ROBERTS: It was one inning. That's why it was huge that Blake could get Stanton and then punch out Rizzo right there. So that was just our last bullet in the sense of with the lead.

Q. When you were game planning, did Walker come up at any point, or did that happen within the game?

DAVE ROBERTS: That happened within the game. Seventh inning, he just said that he's going to be available. I didn't see him -- see that even coming into play, but obviously as the game sort of played on, we had to keep the game close.

Our guys were fighting, so I just felt that at that point in time, I was going to be all in.

Q. It seems somewhat self-explanatory, but what about him makes you confident in handing him the ball in a spot like that?

DAVE ROBERTS: I just think the experience, the pedigree. We were all in at that point in time, and he wanted the baseball. I just felt that he wasn't going to run from the moment. I just felt he was the best option.

Q. So pitching-wise, what was your plan if the game had gone to extra innings?

DAVE ROBERTS: I would have probably had Hudson pitch the tenth. And then Casparius, who threw two innings, 50-some pitches, throw the 11th, yeah.

Q. Mookie had such a workman-like day today in terms of beating the ball out to first base, getting the go-ahead run on the sac fly. Can you tell me a little bit about his playoff performance, not just tonight, but in general, as he's done everything he's done?

DAVE ROBERTS: He's great. He's one of the guys I'm really excited for because going into postseason, he's one of the guys we talked about that didn't perform. To be able to block out all that noise and still focus on helping us win baseball games, there's not a guy that cares more. He's a very talented player.

Hopefully we can keep this narrative quiet for a little bit because he did everything, and played both sides of the baseball. He made some big plays defensively, and offensively he came up big.

Q. This season started off, we can call it rocky, with your situation in Korea, Mookie breaks his hand, the starting pitching, Freddie's ankle. Is there a point throughout the year where you wonder if it's all too much and you guys can get through it? And at what point did you realize this group could get to this point?

DAVE ROBERTS: We did go through a lot, but I'll say we still had the best record in all of baseball this year. It wasn't easy, but our guys fought and played every day the right way, played to win.

There was a lot of back filling on talent because of injury, a lot of young players cut their teeth, which is good. But one thing is that we just kept going. Even in the postseason, I don't think anyone had us picked. I don't think they had us picked to get out of the first series.

For us to go out there and fight and scratch and claw and win 11 games in October, that's a credit to our guys.

Q. When you map this out with your pitching, knowing how yesterday went, was there anything in your mind scenario-wise that you saw having to take Flaherty out as early as you did and how you were going to navigate the remainder of those 27 outs?

DAVE ROBERTS: No, there wasn't. Obviously if I have to use the potential Game 7 starter in the ninth inning, that just speaks to we didn't have enough pitching. I was trying to get as much as I could out of Jack.

Q. You mentioned Mookie in the last couple of years. How much do you think those experiences, those failures kind of contributed to him performing the way he did this October?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think it has something to do with it. Certainly it's been on his mind all year as far as, once we get to the postseason -- it doesn't matter until I perform in the postseason, all that stuff that he was saying.

I just felt that he was in a good spot mechanically, but I liked the fight. There was just a lot of fight. He was willing himself to having good at-bats and productive at-bats. So he threw out some hits and scored some runs and did a lot of good things. But that probably had something to do with it.

Q. How happy are you for Ohtani?

DAVE ROBERTS: I'm thrilled. Six years in the States, arguably the best player in the Big Leagues. So he committed to us, and he wanted to play for a championship. For it to kind of come to fruition in his first year is pretty remarkable.

What Shohei's done to our ball club, the Dodger fan base domestically, globally, I just don't think you can quantify. And he's just such a good guy. He was playing with one arm in the postseason. So most guys would probably tap out, but he was going to not be denied at playing and posting and being in the lineup.

So for him to hoist that World Series trophy, that's something he dreamed of, I'm sure, for quite some time.

Q. This Friday is going to be the parade in L.A. Also this Friday is Fernando Valenzuela's 64th birthday. How special will it be celebrating the championship but also remembering Fernando?

DAVE ROBERTS: It's going to be emotional. Fernando was a friend of mine. I know he's smiling right now and very proud of this organization. So he's going to be missed. I'm sure it's something that he would want to have been a part of, but it's going to be emotional for all of us.

Q. For you personally, the list of managers in the long history of baseball that have won more than one World Series isn't that long, and it's all Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers, including two Dodgers in Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda. What does it mean to you to join that club?

DAVE ROBERTS: Humbling. Never thought I would be in that same conversation. I'm a part of a great organization, a lot of great people around me supporting me, and we've won a lot of ball games. This is something I really wanted. I wanted this one.

There were some guys that were here with me in '20, and you hear some naysayers, and so we didn't get the parade that I've been talking about the last week. I'm proud of a lot of guys. The list goes on for the players that put me in this position.

Q. Shohei didn't give up even though he had a shoulder issue, and he was really competitive even though he couldn't really contribute to the at-bat. But like how did that gutsy attitude help the team for the fighting?

DAVE ROBERTS: It helped us because if Shohei's in the lineup, it still is a presence. I think that what Freddie was going through certainly helped Shohei and convinced Shohei to be in the lineup too.

I just think he earned even more respect from his teammates by being able to play with one arm.

Q. We've talked about this in the past, Dave, how much it irritated you to hear people say 11 straight postseason berths, only one title, only one. How do you feel about that criticism now?

DAVE ROBERTS: I'm going to take the high road. It's hard to win a championship regardless of what your team is like. It's hard, and there's a reason why there hasn't been a repeat champion since the Yankees did it. It clearly speaks to the difficulty, the playoff format, all that stuff.

I'm going to be in the moment, and I'm going to enjoy the heck out of this one. I'm sure there's no asterisk on this one.

Q. Andrew said Shohei told him in the clubhouse, let's do this nine more times. Do you feel the pressure of nine more times?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don't want to get to pressure yet. I've dealt with pressure quite a bit. I'm going to enjoy this one. But once we get to Spring Training, that's certainly going to be the goal, yes.

Q. To kind of piggy-back off that, Andrew has talked about wanting this to be a golden era of Dodger baseball. Does a second title and the way you guys feel this year seem like it cements that a little bit?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think so. I think we have the best organization in baseball with consistency, but you've still got to go out there and play the schedule. We have great ownership, great front office, and we've got great coaches and great players.

We've still got to perform, but I think that we're on our way.

Q. I saw Aaron Boone waiting outside of your clubhouse. Did you meet him after the game? How special was it to compete against each other?

DAVE ROBERTS: I did. Aaron is an absolute professional. He sought me out, wanted to congratulate me personally. So we have a long history of competing against one another, a mutual respect.

I think Aaron is the only one in baseball that can really relate to my job in the sense of either win a World Series championship or you failed and you're not doing a good job in the respective markets.

Sports is tough. There's always a winner. There's a loser. But I love competing against Aaron, and I think he's done a fantastic job with his ball club.