Dave Roberts using his old Red Sox as cautionary tale

If anybody knows a little something about playoff momentum, it’s Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

As a member of the Boston Red Sox in 2004, Roberts stole a key base in Game 4 of the ALCS. That steal sparked an incredible and historic rally as the Red Sox erased a 3-0 series lead for the New York Yankees before finally punching their ticket to the World Series in Game 7.

Entering Game 5 of the NLCS on Friday night against the New York Mets, Roberts reminded his players of what happens when you surrender momentum and stressed the need to play with urgency despite being up 3-1 in the series.

Dave Roberts says they’re playing with urgency because he vividly remembers what can happen if a team gets momentum like they did with the 2004 Red Sox

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 18, 2024

“I think you can see from kind of my demeanor that we’re playing with urgency tonight,” Roberts said before Game 5, via CBS Sports. “I think you can see that things can happen when a team starts to build momentum. So, yeah, we want to kind of take our momentum and keep it going, put these guys away. Because of my past experiences — and unfortunately I was on the good side of the other thing — but, yeah, I feel that. I understand that.”

The Dodgers didn’t quite heed Roberts’ warning. They were blown out by the Mets, 12-6, and will now enter a Sunday night game facing the potential reality of a rubber game to decide the National League pennant.

Roberts obviously wants to avoid that scenario knowing that anything can happen in a Game 7, so the Dodgers will need that added urgency or risk ending up like the 2004 Yankees.