Steve Webb
CINCINNATI, OH — In an otherwise forgettable game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shows why he is valued on this team of multi-million dollar superstars. It was a brief moment, between a young man and a mentor that we could all learn from.
First we need to set the scene. With Dodgers trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning, newly acquired reliever Yohan Ramirez was called on to get the game to the ninth inning. Given win probability at that point, this was very likely the last inning that the Dodger pitchers would be throwing. With a game in New York City coming up the next day, Roberts REALLY needed Ramirez to finish the inning, his bullpen already spread thin.
And it started well enough. Ramirez retired the first two batters without incident. Then Santiago Espinal banged a single into right. Ramirez then sort of fell apart. He plunked catcher Luke Maile with an up-and-in sinker. Two pitches later, he did the same to Stuart Fairchild. Now the bases were loaded. And Roberts had a pitcher who had lost the plate on the mound.
Instead of sending out pitching coach Mark Prior, which is the standard procedure when a pitcher needs a reset, Roberts came out of the dugout himself.
Usually, that is a sign that a pitcher is about to be removed, but the Dodgers’ pen was quiet. Instead of reading the wild Ramirez the riot act, he wrapped his arms around his reliever’s neck and spoke into his ear. A private conversation, clearly meant for only these two men to hear. Catcher Will Smith and the Dodger infielders milled about, but it was clear that the chat was not meant for them. This was not a conversation about strategy. This was about a kid who was struggling who needed to be reassured.
Asked about the incident after the game, Roberts told the press after the game,”On the heels of the other night, and having trouble commanding the baseball and the results of the other night — he’s emotional and cares, and he’s trying to impress with a new ballclub…So I wanted to kind of cut it off before it really spun out. And I just tried to reassure him and give him some confidence, love on him a little bit, and try to take a little bit of pressure off. … “
Roberts went on to explain the empathy that he had at that moment, You just see the player, and you kind of feel what he’s got going on in his brain, in his heart, all that stuff. Sometimes I’m sure — I’ve never thrown a major league inning — but you feel like you’re on an island. So I wanted to show that we were all behind him.”
On the very next pitch, Ramirez got the final out of the inning. And guess who was there to welcome him back to the dugout with a warm hug and a smile? I think we all know the answer to that one.
Dave Roberts makes mistakes as a manager. Who doesn’t, from Tony La Russa to Kevin Cash to anybody else you can name. But he has a touch with his players that is unrivaled across baseball.
And that, sports fans, is why he manages the Los Angeles Dodgers.
