Shohei Ohtani’s teammate Miguel Rojas reveals Dave Roberts’ bold World Series 2024 promise that became reality

Dave Roberts has likely cemented himself as a managerial legend for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although his tenure with the club has not always been smooth sailing since he became the team's manager back in 2016, however, nearly 10 years later and a pair of World Series titles, Roberts has done a tremendous job at the helm.

The 52-year-old from Okinawa, Japan, has agreed to an extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dave Roberts and the Dodgers agreed to a four-year deal with a reported average annual value of $8.1 million per season. Although there might be some who believe that Roberts's success is due to the fact that the Dodgers have superstars such as Shohei Ohtani, veteran Miguel Rojas tells a different story.

In an interview with USA TODAY Sports earlier this week, Miguel Rojas spoke about his manager and shared a story that took place between them during the team's World Series run last season. During the NLDS last season, the Dodgers were down 2-1 to the San Diego Padres, and Rojas called Roberts to tell him he would be unable to go for a pivotal Game 4.

“I woke up that day feeling really bad, and I couldn’t play. “I told him, 'Doc, I’m really sorry man, but I can’t play today. I can’t really walk," Rojas explained in the interview.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were already dealing with plenty of adversity heading into Game 4 against the San Diego Padres. Superstar Freddie Freeman was already injured, the team was going to use their bullpen for the entire game, and now they were going to have to play without Rojas. This did not bother Roberts, who continued to believe in the team's ability to win it all.

“'Miggy, we’re going to win the World Series this year, and we’re going to win it next year together," Rojas said Roberts told him.

Even though Rojas may not have believed it at the time, the Los Angeles Dodgers not only came back to defeat the San Diego Padres but power their way through the postseason. After a dominant 4-1 series win over the New York Yankees, the Dodgers won their 2nd World Series title since 2020.

Dave Roberts says that his new Dodgers contract provides him with some much-needed "closure."

After winning his second World Series title with the club, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Dave Roberts earned another contract extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That being said, it is never wise to count one's chickens before they hatch, which is why Roberts is relieved to have the contract situation done with.

“I can’t talk about it so much, but obviously there’s some closure. I’m excited. This is the place where I always wanted to be," Roberts said.

Now that the contract extension is completed, Dave Roberts can fully focus on the season ahead without any outside distractions. This will also likely provide some relief for the players as now they no longer have the uncertainty of their manager moving forward.