Former Red Sox Hero Stamps Legacy With World Series Masterclass

Several legends were made when the Los Angeles Dodgers captured their second straight World Series title with a nail-biting Game 7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The clutchest performance may have come in the dugout.

Dave Roberts cemented his status among MLB’s greatest managers by guiding the Dodgers to their third title in the last six years. The former Boston Red Sox player seemed to press every right button to steal this year’s Fall Classic.

Roberts knows the importance of role players, as his famous stolen base sparked Boston’s American League Championship Series comeback over the New York Yankees in 2024. Miguel Rojas will similarly go down in history for a moment that Dodgers fans will never forget.

Rojas hadn’t played much during the postseason, but Roberts inserted the 36-year-old utilityman into his Game 6 lineup. He started Game 7 despite going hitless on Friday, and Roberts stuck with his light-hitting second baseman while down one run in the ninth inning.

With Shohei Ohtani on deck, Rojas improbably saved the day by hitting a game-tying home run off Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman. Rojas then thwarted a ninth-inning walk-off by making a force out at home plate with an off-balance throw.

Rojas started in place of Andy Pages, but Roberts put his slumping center fielder into the game as a defensive replacement for Tommy Edman in the ninth. Pages quickly made his mark, running down an Ernie Clement line drive and bulldozing teammate Kiké Hernández to make a game-saving catch.

Roberts’ unconventional pitching plan also paid off. Rather than trust a shaky bullpen, the 53-year-old leaned heavily on his starting rotation.

The game’s starter, Shohei Ohtani, got chased out of the third inning after allowing a three-run homer to Bo Bichette. After getting four outs from southpaw Justin Wrobleski, Roberts turned to Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan and Blake Snell, who permitted one run over 4 2/3 combined innings.

Roberts then made his boldest move of all, using Yoshinobu Yamamoto one day after he pitched six innings in a Game 6 win. The 27-year-old somehow recorded eight more outs on no rest to end an epic World Series comeback.

Despite the Dodgers’ success, Roberts has drawn scrutiny as the leader of a team with perennial title-or-bust expectations. Those critics won’t have much material after Doc’s iconic Game 7.