There’s confidence, and then there’s overconfidence.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts might be guilty of the latter after boldly claiming Los Angeles will win the World Series in 2022, telling Dan Patrick that if a full season and postseason of baseball are played, the reigning NL West runners-up have the trophy in the bag.
When asked by Patrick to complete the sentence “The Dodgers will win the World Series if…?” during his Thursday morning radio hit, here’s how Roberts responded.
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“We play a full season and there is a postseason. We are winning the World Series in 2022,” Roberts said. “We are winning the World Series this year, put it on record. That’s our focus, that’s our goal.”
The Dodgers tied a franchise record with 106 wins in 2021, but the Giants one-upped their longtime rivals with a 107-win franchise record of their own to earn their first division title since 2012.
And even though Los Angeles would ultimately go on to defeat San Francisco in five games during the 2021 NLDS, they fell short of a second consecutive World Series title after losing out on the NL pennant to the Atlanta Braves.
San Francisco Giants
It’s obvious Roberts has high expectations for his team to win it all this season -- and that he doesn’t believe in jinxes. But since the last Dodgers championship came during the shortened 2020 season, it’s likely the skipper is hungry for a title during a year without any interruptions.
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He went on to specify exactly how he believes the Dodgers can win the Fall Classic, however, adding that the health of the starting rotation is key.
“But to your question, we are winning the World Series if our starting staff stays healthy. I know that’s vague, but that’s my answer,” Roberts said. “... I think it’s about our starting pitching, just keeping our guys healthy.”
As the Giants build a roster they believe can contend for a World Series thanks to key pieces like pitcher Carlos Rodón and former Dodger Joc Pederson, the Dodgers are hard at work as well, recently adding former MVP Freddie Freeman to an already stacked lineup.
Only time will tell if Roberts’ prediction will pan out.