The Colorado Rockies fired manager Bud Black on Sunday amid their historically awful start to the season, and Dave Roberts clearly believes the wrong person took the fall.
Black was fired on Sunday while in his ninth season as the manager of the Rockies. The team had just beaten the San Diego Padres to improve to 7-33, but they had lost eight straight prior to that. Colorado suffered its worst shutout loss in franchise history when they fell 21-0 to the Padres on Saturday.
Roberts, who coached under Black in San Diego, was asked about Black’s dismissal following the Dodgers’ 8-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday night. He delivered an epic quote.
“I’m bummed. I’m disappointed. I don’t think Casey Stengel could change the outcome of that ballclub, and that’s not the manager’s fault,” Roberts said.
Dave Roberts on the Colorado Rockies firing his mentor, Bud Black: "I'm bummed. I'm disappointed. I don't think Casey Stengel could change the outcome of that ballclub, and that's not the manager's fault."
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 11, 2025
Stengel is best known for being the manager of the New York Yankees from 1949-1960. He won seven World Series with the team, including five straight from 1949-1953. Stengel, a Hall of Fame player and manager, benefitted from having legends like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra on his team.
Roberts’ point was that Colorado’s roster is terrible. Several of their players belong in the minors, and that has been their biggest issue in recent years. The front office has failed to bring in quality players and build a solid minor-league pipeline.
The Rockies made the playoffs in Black’s first two years on the job in 2017 and 2018, but it was all downhill from there. Black made plenty of mistakes while compiling a 544-690 record, but Roberts is far from the only one who feels Colorado’s brass is to blame for what could go down as the worst season in MLB history.
