Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton praised Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as the Dodgers head back home to try and wrap up National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.
Shelton, who has managed the Pirates since 2020, gave Roberts credit for his handling of a difficult situation during the NL Division Series, and transforming that situation into an advantage.
The NLDS featured two NL West rivals in the Dodgers and San Diego Padres, and there was no shortage of bad blood throughout the series.
During Game 2 of the NLDS, Padres third baseman Manny Machado and Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty exchanged heated words. Dodgers fans threw iteams from the stands at multiple Padres players, and Machado tossed a baseball toward the Dodgers’ dugout that nearly hit Roberts.
Shelton credited Roberts for using these heated moments to motivate his team.
“I think Doc does a very good job of staying even-keeled and very calculated when he needs to do things,” Shelton said on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM. “The situation with Manny [Machado], he came out afterwards … That was a highly intense series that was played and two ballparks that were getting after each other. Really fun to watch.”
The Dodgers would lose Game 3 of the NLDS, but go on to win the final two games to move on to the NLCS.
“Any time you can provide something that has motivation to your group and be able to use it, I thought he did it in a really good way, really tactful way,” Shelton said. “I think the one thing we know from watching Doc manage all these years is when you see that intensity, there’s a purpose behind it. That’s what good managers do.”
Roberts’ handling of the end of the NLDS was viewed in high regard by many, and even considered a “masterclass” by some as the Dodgers overcame a thin starting rotation to come back and win the series.
Not only did the rotation and bullpen come through to win the series, but the Dodgers tied a postseason record for consecutive scoreless innings.
Shelton, who has a 294-414 record, would like to replicate some of the success Roberts has seen over his tenure as the Dodgers’ manager.
Under Roberts, the Dodgers have made the postseason every season and won the World Series in 2020. The Dodgers additionally went 4-2 against Shelton’s Pirates this season.
