Wednesday night, the Dodgers closed out the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves in four games, and their manager Dave Roberts notched his 72nd career postseason win, officially moving him past Tony La Russa for second-most in MLB history. That’s a massive milestone for Roberts, especially considering the company he’s now keeping.
The Climb To Second And The Chase For Number One
Roberts didn’t just inch past La Russa, he blew by him with a win that showcased his team’s postseason closing ability. The Dodgers under Roberts now boast an incredible 19-9 record (.689) when they have a chance to close out a postseason series. For context, the rest of MLB since 2016 is sitting at a much lower 92-88 (.511) in those same situations. That’s a huge difference and speaks volumes about Roberts’ impact.
After the win, Roberts reflected on the achievement, saying, “It’s special. I have a lot of respect for Tony and the managers that have done what I’m doing; they’ve done it for a long time.” He’s now standing on the shoulders of giants, but make no mistake, Roberts isn’t done. He’s currently just a dozen wins behind the legendary Joe Torre, who holds the all-time record with 84 postseason victories. What’s wild is that Roberts has done all this in just 11 seasons at the helm of the Dodgers, and his 11th season isn’t even finished yet! Torre managed a whopping 29 seasons in the majors, though 76 of his 84 postseason wins came during his dominant dozen years with the New York Yankees.
A Modern Era Of October Dominance
It’s true that modern managers like Roberts have more opportunities to rack up postseason wins, thanks to the addition of the Wild Card round and the expanded Division Series. Plus, League Championship Series before 1985 were only best-of-5, not best-of-7, which made it harder for earlier managers to pile up those crucial October victories. Still, Roberts’ ascent is incredibly impressive.
Here’s a look at every MLB manager with at least 30 postseason wins, broken down by how they got ’em:
* **Joe Torre:** 84 total (21 WS, 29 LCS, 34 DS)
* **Dave Roberts:** 72 total (16 WS, 24 LCS, 27 DS, 5 WC)
* **Tony La Russa:** 71 total (13 WS, 34 LCS, 24 DS)
* **Bobby Cox:** 67 total (11 WS, 30 LCS, 26 DS)
* **Dusty Baker:** 57 total (9 WS, 21 LCS, 25 DS, 2 WC)
* **Bruce Bochy:** 57 total (16 WS, 20 LCS, 17 DS, 4 WC)
* **Terry Francona:** 44 total (11 WS, 15 LCS, 16 DS, 2 WC)
* **Jim Leyland:** 44 total (5 WS, 16 LCS, 23 DS)
* **Casey Stengel:** 37 total (37 WS)
* **A.J. Hinch:** 36 total (7 WS, 9 LCS, 15 DS, 5 WC)
* **Sparky Anderson:** 34 total (16 WS, 18 LCS)
* **Joe Maddon:** 32 total (5 WS, 9 LCS, 16 DS, 2 WC)
* **Tommy Lasorda:** 31 total (12 WS, 16 LCS, 3 DS)
* **Joe McCarthy:** 30 total (30 WS)
It’s wild to see how much the game has changed when you notice Casey Stengel’s 37 wins and Joe McCarthy’s 30 wins all came in the World Series! If we focus on the more modern era, specifically since the League Championship Series was introduced in 1969, Roberts is still right there with the best in combined World Series and LCS wins:
* Joe Torre: 50 wins
* Tony La Russa: 47 wins
* Bobby Cox: 41 wins
* Dave Roberts: 40 wins
* Casey Stengel: 37 wins
* Bruce Bochy: 36 wins
* Sparky Anderson: 34 wins
Roberts and the Dodgers are now deep in the postseason grind, with every victory chipping away at that historic number one spot. Will he close in even further on Joe Torre’s record before this season is done? You know he’s eyeing it. The chase for managerial history is officially on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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