Dave Roberts is in an impossible spot, again. His Dodgers are staring down a brutal 3-0 series deficit to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. It feels like a death sentence for most teams, but here’s the crazy part: Roberts has lived through this exact nightmare before, and he absolutely emerged victorious.
The Unforgettable 2004 Comeback
You want to talk about historic comebacks? Look no further than 2004, when Roberts, then an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, helped author one of the most insane reversals in MLB history. He was part of the only team to ever overcome a 3-0 series lead in a league championship. The Yankees had them dead to rights, up 3-0 in the ALCS. But Game 4, man, that was the spark.
Red Sox were down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Roberts pinch ran for Kevin Millar, stepping onto first base with legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on the mound. Rivera tried everything, holding Roberts with multiple pick-off moves. But when Rivera finally delivered to the plate, Roberts took off. He stole second base, barely beating the throw from Jorge Posada, and the Fenway crowd absolutely erupted. Two pitches later, Bill Mueller singled up the middle, Roberts scored, and the game was tied. Game 4 went to the 12th inning before David “Big Papi” Ortiz crushed a walk-off home run. That was it. The Red Sox rattled off eight straight wins, not only beating the Yankees but then sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Pure magic.
Roberts’ Playbook for a Miracle
Now, 22 years later, Roberts is trying to channel that same energy from the dugout. His Dodgers are facing a dominant Brewers team that’s been better both on the mound and at the plate. But Roberts is leaning on what he learned from then-Red Sox manager Terry Francona. He’s telling his players to dig deep, trust each other, and frankly, just loosen up.
“I think trying to create a sense of urgency , our backs are against the wall , but also a little levity and have fun,” Roberts told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. “At the end of the day, the worst that can happen is you lose and might as well try something different and loosen up and just kind of leave it all out there and play. So I’m going to try to keep guys loose and have fun, and you’ll see that in the dugout.”
Even Big Papi has total faith in his former teammate. Ortiz, joking with Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, put it simply: “First of all, [the Dodgers] have the right guy at the right moment as their manager, who is my brother Dave Roberts. He said something very important: ‘I’m going to try to keep them loose.’ He learned that from Tito, seeing him in that situation, because at the end of the day, the world is right here; there’s no room to go back; everything has to be moving forward.”
Alex Rodriguez, who was on that losing Yankees team in 2004, knows the flip side of this equation. “The pressure is on the Brewers now,” Rodriguez said. “And for the Dodgers, I’m very interested to see how they react to unfamiliar territory where they’re going to be underdogs for the rest of this.”
It’s clear the Dodgers are massive underdogs. The Brewers have all the pressure on their shoulders. Can Roberts bottle that incredible 2004 magic and inspire his team to get just one win, and then another, to start chipping away at this impossible mountain? The whole baseball world is absolutely watching to see if he can.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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