It has been just over a week since the Los Angeles Dodgers won their second straight title by defeating the Blue Jays in a seven-game 2025 World Series. As the offseason approaches, discussions are already underway about how the club can make more history by becoming the first team to win three consecutive championships since the New York Yankees accomplished the feat from 1998 to 2000.
Beyond the excitement for another potential parade, it’s worth considering how the Dodgers’ 2025 season has impacted manager Dave Roberts’ legacy. While many fans and pundits would argue that Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda is the greatest skipper ever to lead the Boys in Blue, Los Angeles’ recent run of dominance has placed Roberts into an unprecedented stratosphere as the franchise’s most impactful manager.
Lasorda never achieved the statistical heights that longtime manager Walter Alston reached but was able to cultivate an image that made him larger than life. Roberts, on the other hand, has faced the unique challenge of directing one of sports’ most talented and scrutinized rosters in decades—and he has earned the hardware to prove that he’s been the right man at the right time.
“We’ve put together something pretty special, I do know that,” Roberts said. “I’m proud of the players, the fans, scouting, player development, all the stuff. To do what we’ve done in this span of time is pretty remarkable. I guess let the pundits and all the fans talk about if it’s a dynasty or not, but I’m pretty happy with where we’re at.”
### Dave Roberts Has Matched Tommy Lasorda’s Statistical Success
For most Dodgers fans, Tommy Lasorda is known as an iconic figure who led the team through one of its most prosperous periods. The Norristown native managed the Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, winning two World Series titles and four National League pennants during his tenure.
“Yeah, it’s hard to reconcile that one. I’ve just got so much respect for Tommy and what he did in the game,” Roberts told reporters after surpassing Lasorda in World Series wins. “Right now, I’m just really elated and proud of our team, our guys, the way we fought, and we’ve done something that hasn’t been done in decades. There were so many pressure points and moments where the game could have flipped, but we just kept fighting and guys stepped up big.”
Lasorda finished his managerial career with a .526 win percentage, while Walter Alston, another Dodgers legend, won four titles and boasted a .558 win percentage. Although Lasorda received more praise due to his bold personality and media savvy, Alston could be considered more prosperous statistically.
Alston started with the Dodgers when the team was still in Brooklyn, a time when they were nicknamed the “Bums” due to their inability to defeat the Yankees in the World Series. The Ohio native helped shed that image in 1955 when the Dodgers won their first World Series in franchise history and oversaw the team’s move to Los Angeles. Pitchers like Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale then ushered in a new era that distanced the team from its past shortcomings.
Lasorda took over after Alston retired late in the 1976 season and inherited talented players such as first baseman Steve Garvey, second baseman Davey Lopes, and catcher Steve Yeager.
Since becoming the Dodgers’ manager in 2018, Roberts has posted a .621 win percentage—the best mark of any Los Angeles skipper to manage at least 1,000 games. He is one title shy of Alston’s four and more than 1,000 wins behind both Alston and Lasorda. While it remains to be seen if Roberts will tally more wins than Lasorda, Alston, or Hall of Famer Wilbert Robinson (who owns the third-most victories in franchise history), he is on track to potentially raise the Commissioner’s Trophy more times than any other Los Angeles manager.
### Roberts’ Strength: Uniting Stars and Big Personalities
Even if Roberts surpasses only Alston and Lasorda in terms of championships, he could already be considered a better clubhouse unifier.
Toward the end of his tenure, Alston had to navigate ongoing spats between players like Garvey, Lopes, and starting pitcher Tommy John. Although such turmoil initially became less prevalent under Lasorda—who led the team to the 1977 and 1978 NL Pennants—the tension never fully dissipated. It’s worth wondering if either of those teams could have overcome challenges like the Reggie Jackson-led New York Yankees if they had been able to function more cohesively rather than as individuals.
Of course, Lasorda’s teams ultimately triumphed in 1981 and 1988, but it’s hard not to ponder what such talented groups could have achieved without distractions.
Roberts has benefitted from one of the finest rosters ever to grace the diamond, but a lesser manager might have failed to find common ground to keep the clubhouse united. Most players want to win a title, but the manager’s messaging can make a difference when dealing with very different personalities.
Roberts has successfully managed outspoken players like Kiké Hernandez alongside more reserved teammates like Miguel Rojas, fostering a shared commitment to a common goal while ensuring the stars remain content.
Over the past two years, Roberts has encouraged his team to embrace its role as baseball’s villain.
“Before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” Roberts said after Los Angeles swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball.”
The 53-year-old manager has since downplayed that statement, but others have echoed similar sentiments during the team’s back-to-back championship runs.
Roberts took over while the Dodgers were considered postseason chokers, and he has watched the team evolve into a perennial contender. While Lasorda once called Dodger Stadium “blue heaven on earth,” Roberts has become the franchise’s most impactful skipper by building a championship culture that has made playing in Chavez Ravine anything but a heavenly experience for opposing clubs.
https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-dave-roberts-surpassed-tommy-lasorda-best-manager-franchise-history
