Dave Roberts' 'Ruin Baseball' comment back under microscope after Dodgers' Game 1 loss

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t have anything to prove to the baseball world at this point. Roberts has won two World Series championships as a manager, adding to his one as a player. On almost every night, he looks like the perfect guy to be calling the shots for MLB’s most talented club, and the wealth of experience he brings to the table is the underlying driver of his success, along with his absurd baseball IQ and delightfully complex personality that is capable of handling a superstar-studded roster and the pressures of fulfilling the highest expectations possible.

That being said, Roberts is human like the rest of us and thus prone to the occasional misstep. He may have made one in the moments following LA’s NLCS sweep, as Roberts leaned into some mockery by sarcastically promising to “ruin baseball”, a nod to the renewed onslaught of payroll complaints that have been chucked at the Dodgers in recent weeks.

If every MLB fan not affiliated with the Dodgers wasn’t already praying on LA’s downfall, they probably were after Roberts’ snide joke. While Roberts is actually in the right, there was no reason to flaunt his superiority like this heading into the World Series. A more humble, “job’s not finished” aura from Roberts would have been more elegant. 

Dodgers' Dave Roberts downplays “ruin baseball” remarks as a fun joke, hoping regret fades

Being the highly self-aware person that he is, Roberts undoubtedly digested the backlash to his “ruin baseball” remarks in the days following the NLCS. Ahead of the World Series, Roberts acknowledged that the comments may have painted him in an unfavorable light.

“I was just having a little fun with people that said that about the Dodgers,” Roberts said on Thursday, per FOX Sports. “But I hope I’m not the villain.”

Some of Roberts’ other remarks ahead of the World Series were interesting. When asked about the pressure he feels heading into Game 1, Roberts gave a somewhat surprising reply.

“Um, none whatsoever,” Roberts said, per The Sporting Tribune's Arash Markazi. And yet, pressure or not, the team certainly didn't look like the aggressor in the opener, and the Dodgers' booming Game 1 loss might have Roberts dusting himself off and saying, "Game on" to the mocking public.

“Right now, all of our focus is on winning tonight. And I mean that wholeheartedly. That's the only thing that we care about right now. And so, it's a big game. It's going to be a fun crowd.”

No pressure at all? Really? 

While it might be tempting to critique Roberts further here, there’s an entirely different perspective to consider. Let's remind ourselves that Roberts has earned a ton of grace simply by virtue of his success and positive interactions with players, media, and others during his baseball life.

Before getting too carried away with Roberts’ “ruin baseball” comments or his nonchalant take on World Series pressure, it’s also important to remind ourselves of how valuable a manager Roberts has proved himself to be.

Foul Territory’s Clint Pasilla and Alanna Rizzo were spot on in acknowledging this ahead of Game 1.

“This is a dude that has been battle tested,” Pasilla said.

“He's learned how to manage these big moments … and you see the way he manages the bullpen … he's a different kind of skipper now … he knows when to pull dudes at the right time, but it feels like even when he pulls a lever to bring in a Blake Treinen, if he's wrong, he's willing to be like, ‘All right, I messed up.’ … Dave makes me feel very confident in this series against the Jays.”

“I couldn't agree with you more,” Rizzo said. “There's not a situation that can arise … in this World Series that Dave's not going to be able to handle, because he's been there, done that, and there's something to be said about that.”

“Certainly no disrespect to John Schneider … he's obviously a very accomplished baseball man, but they've not been to the World Series, and it just hits different.”

Roberts didn't do himself or the Dodgers any PR favors with his recent comments - or his team's Game 1 performance - but at the end of the day, a second consecutive title would silence all of that noise and create space for an entirely new narrative this fall regarding the legitimate arrival of a new MLB dynasty.