Dave Roberts finally admits he shared Dodgers fans' worries during World Series

The Dodgers were playing with fire when they sort of intentionally threw Game 4 of the World Series this year. This isn't to discredit Anthony Volpe's grand slam or the power surge the Yankees experienced during that game to make the series 3-1, but the Dodgers were deliberate about not putting their best relievers on the mound to try to take the series in a sweep. Instead, Daniel Hudson, Landon Knack, and Brent Honeywell Jr. had to bear the brunt of the loss.

Dave Roberts' mentality in Game 4 was easy enough to puzzle out. Most of their Dodgers' highest-leverage relievers had just pitched in Game 3 and they needed the rest. LA was still enjoying a safe lead. But the argument can still be made that they shouldn't have given the Yankees any room to breathe, or given them any optimism that they could become the first team to force a Game 6 in the World Series.

And, of course, the Yankees just gave the whole thing away in Game 5 with their carnival of errors in the fifth inning, so it all worked out okay in the end for LA. A lot of Dodgers fans might've wanted to see the series come back to LA, but they can't really complain when the team came back with a ring.

This week, with the confetti settled, Roberts admitted that he didn't want to see the series go back to LA, either. As a guest on Mookie Betts' podcast, he said, "I will tell you this now publicly, I was so afraid to come back to Los Angeles for Game 6, knowing we still had Yamamoto in our back pocket. But [...] if were to come back, the noise, the pressure, becomes real. Because then, you're gonna start potentially being part of history in the wrong way. A team that gave up a three-nothing ."

Dave Roberts admits he was afraid of a potential World Series Game 6 in LA for Dodgers

If the series had gone back to Dodger Stadium, the whole thing would've taken on a new vibe. Suddenly, it would've been about the fact that the Yankees had become the first team to force a Game 6, and the conversation would've turned into a grating "Will they be the first team to come back from 3-0 to win the World Series?" narrative.

The Dodgers needed to win Game 5 to kill all of that noise in the cradle, and, in doing so, they also allowed the Yankees to completely expose themselves as the "talent over fundamentals" team they were all season. Instead of becoming the first team to force Game 6, they became the first team to blow a five-run lead in a postseason elimination game.

So Roberts had every reason to be worried and to not want the series to go back home. Dodgers fans got their parade, and that feels a lot better than a Game 6.