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Dodgers: Dave Roberts’ guarantee should worry LAD fans

By Adam Weinrib

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 18: Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with his team following their 4-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves in Game Seven of the National League Championship Series at Globe Life Field on October 18, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 18: Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with his team following their 4-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves in Game Seven of the National League Championship Series at Globe Life Field on October 18, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tempted fate with a guarantee after Los Angeles advanced to the World Series.

The Dodgers completed an NLCS comeback of epic proportions on Sunday night, winning Game 7 late after a game-tying blast by Kiké Hernández was followed with a tape-measure Cody Bellinger shot.

For three consecutive mid-October days, it was an outright pleasure to be a Dodgers fan.

But after the game wrapped, Dave Roberts took to the microphone and made every Rays fan (is there more than one of those?) in the nation confident when he declared that 2020 was, in fact, the time for the Dodgers to finish this thing off.

“This year is our year! This is our year!” might’ve sounded great to the 10,000 reduced-capacity diehards in the building in Arlington, but that much louder sound you’re hearing is metropolitan Los Angeles groaning collectively.

Why? Why, Dave?! It’s the type of thing you always want to scream, but sorry, you simply can’t scream it until the deed is done. Just one more round, then you can scream.

We do understand why Roberts is vibing this way, though, considering he basically just pitched a perfect game through Games 5-7. Specifically, the manner in which he closed out Game 7 (three exceptional innings from Julio Urias) felt extremely different from the Ghosts of Roberts Past. What does he do if this situation presents itself last season? Kershaw for the ninth? Kenley?

That adept managing is a very specific reason why Roberts probably feels like this rejuvenated team might very well lead him to the promised land.

But you can’t say that out loud! That’s when the ghosts’ll get ya.

The World Series starts on Tuesday night in Arlington, with Clayton Kershaw likely on the mound on full rest. This season unlike any other will conclude with the Dodgers’ third shot in four years to capture the elusive hardware that marks a champions.

And you’ve got to spend the next 24 hours trying to forget that Roberts might’ve jinxed himself yet again.

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