World Series: The Managers Speak

 

The finishing touches being put on the field at Dodger Stadium. @Yankees.

The World Series between the Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers begins on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. 

Los Angeles, who beat the Mets to win the National League pennant, won 98 games in the regular season, which gave them the top seed overall in the postseason, just ahead of the Yankees, who won 94 games as the top American League team.

The Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians in the American League playoffs to reach their first World Series in 15 years. It is the first time they're playing the Dodgers in the Fall Classic since 1981.

On Thursday, Media Day, Yankees Manager Aaron Boone and his Dodgers counterpart, Dave Roberts, spoke about their anticipated matchup.

YANKEES MANAGER AARON BOONE: On the excitement of the World Series, especially when it's these teams in it: Dodgers-Yankees, two pillar franchises in the sport, obviously with a lot of history, going back a long, long time. These two teams have met up a lot in the fall classic. Amazing that it's been 43 years.

It's certainly special, especially with having a few days to allow it to sink in and getting ready. I think this is something that will garner a lot of interest all over the country, all over the world, probably more so than usual. I think everyone can identify with Dodgers, can identify with Yankees, and just what that means worldwide. 

Excited to be a part of it. But for us now, that's all it is. We're getting ready for an opponent with a chance to win a world title, and that's what we're looking forward to.

On the USC-UCLA rivalry, and how when he was with USC, Dave Roberts was on the other side: Yeah, I can see Doc and that little slap swing he had where he hit the ball the other way. He was a good player, somebody that I got to know a little bit at that point, just playing against him because he's such a great guy. But I remember him well, kind of lead-off hitter, left fielder for the Bruins. Fun times, fun days.

I'm a Trojan. So as we all know in here, you're a Trojan for life, you're a Bruin for years. That's probably the case with Doc. He's probably like indifferent. I get pissed off when the Trojans lose. They're like, eh, whatever. 

No, but those were fun days. Going to USC was one of the great years of my life, and those roots run deep.

On the impact of Juan Soto on the Yankees: You never know what it's going to be like when you bring players into organizations. They're getting to know you, you're getting to know them, you're trying to get them entrenched in the culture and the fabric of your team. He's been awesome.

Really like I can remember my first conversation with him outside my bedroom at night right after the Winter Meetings when I got home from Nashville, had a good conversation with him. And really from day one that he showed up, he's made it a priority to fit in and integrate with his teammates. He's a superstar that's incredibly easy to be around, he's easy to coach. 

I can tell him things that aren't necessarily pleasant, and he takes it and applies it. He's just been - he's one of the guys, he really is. That's always what you hope for when you bring somebody in. We always want guys to be who they are and allow guys to be themselves, of course fitting into the team as a whole. But he's done that, and it's been a lot of fun to be around and get to know him.

On what he has noticed about the tone and tenor of his team since they clinched the pennant: Yeah, it's a pretty focused group. We've talked about that a lot. I would say Sunday getting back from Cleveland, I got to my house at 5:15 in the morning. So that was he one day where you just kind of turned it off and sat in the basement and watched football, watched the Mets and Dodgers that night. And it was just kind of appreciate the day and everything. Monday was kind of starting to get back to work and start to prepare for what's ahead of us. Obviously the opportunity to go up against a great opponent.

What he thinks will be the difference in who wins the World Series: The difference - you know, I don't know. We think we have a really good team. We know how good the Dodgers are. Both teams obviously have the ability to be really potent on offense. In the end it comes down to execution. Certainly both pitching staffs being able to slow down the other offenses will be critical, and ultimately that comes down to execution. Should be a great series. We'll be ready to roll tomorrow.

On the passing of Dodgers legendary pitcher Fernando Valenzuela: Certainly my thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Valenzuela family and Dodger Nation. I kind of lived here through - I moved here in 1983, so kind of right after Fernando Mania began in '81. But certainly lived through and knew what he meant to the Dodgers, to Southern California, to Mexico, and just how popular and how impactful that he was on the field, but certainly what he meant to so many people around the world.

On what set apart this Yankees teams from the other ones that he's managed: This group is like family. They really are. I feel like year in and year out we've had togetherness in that room, guys that have come together very well. I feel like our culture has been good. This year the love these guys have for one another. The play for the guy next to me, as trite as that is, that exists in spade with these guys.

It's been fun to witness just how much they trust each other, how much they lean on each other, and how much they care about one another and want to do it for the guy next to them. So that's been something that's really stood out, along with the confidence they've carried with them every single day.

We've had our shares of ups and downs this year. It hasn't been a perfect season by any means. We've had some tough moments, some low moments, and these guys have never flinched. Remarkably, just an ability to shake off a tough loss and come back and go get it tomorrow.

Even when you're flying high, the ability to just like, okay, the next one's the most important. They've had that trait all year, and it's served us well.

DODGERS MANAGER DAVE ROBERTS: On what this World Series means in the United States and from a global standpoint: It is worldwide. I think that's what's going to make this World Series so special, so unique. You could easily argue that on a global scale the Yankees and the Dodgers are the most followed, the most supported, the most visible. So obviously with our two great organizations and the branding, it's going to be very visible.

On his team's offensive philosophy and what makes them so dangerous: I think Aaron can say the same thing. I think our lineup is very - controls the strike zone. We can slug and the ability to create stress, traffic by walk of a walk, we do that as well.

When you get 1 through 9, it gets daunting, and it's hard for a starter to go three times through the lineup. And then in a longer series, you're starting to see the same guys again. So all that stuff starts to benefit and become an advantage for the offense. That's overall our approach and trying to scare pitchers out of the strike zone.

On Aaron Boone saying you're a Trojan for life and a Bruin for four years: Ouch. Ouch, that hurts. Yeah, we go way back. We've got a lot of history, but it's all in fun. I've got nothing but love and respect for Aaron...Absolutely disagree, 100 percent (about Boone's USC-UCLA assessment).

On what he remembers about Boone and playing against him in college: Aaron, gritty, tough, pull power, baseball body, pedigree. He's just a good competitor, so he played that way. When he got to the Big Leagues, same gritty, grindy type player. That's kind of what I see in him. It's crazy to kind of see where we're at right now playing at Jackie Robinson Stadium back in the day or at Dedeaux Field, and to kind of see we're on the biggest of stages, it's mind blowing.

Mookie Betts said how much Roberts has been there for him through the good and bad times. On how much pride he takes in being a manager that doesn't just manage lineups, but is there when his  players need it: It's great to hear that. I really - yeah, Mookie and I just, what we've gone through the last handful of years, I really do consider him like a son. We've had a lot of conversations about life and things like that. There's just a crazy amount of trust between the two of us. Just knowing that I can be there for him and have a little bit of ability to kind of help him along the way, there's a lot of satisfaction in that. He's just a great young man, and he always wants to do well and do right by others. Yeah, I'm one of the happiest people for him and he's kind of caught fire and kind of showing the world what he can do on the biggest of stages. So it's a lot of fun.

On being a players' manager, and how he developed that personality of being someone players can talk to about baseball stuff and the outside world: I think part of it is that's who I am. I think I'm a very positive, welcoming guy. I like to learn more about people, learn about people. I played the game. I know how hard the game is. I really appreciate that the game is about the players, but it's still - the game, it's bigger than all of us. And I don't hesitate in letting the players know that, albeit it's still about them in the here and now. And I just try to be their biggest champion. So I think that's part of why people say that. Dusty Baker, obviously I have a lot of respect for Dusty. He was that player's manager. I think Tommy was. I think Terry Francona and guys that I've been around - and I guess when players see a manager or head coach pull for them, undoubtedly, that's kind of how you get it, I guess.

On how similar this week was to the bye week ahead of the Division Series: It was similar in the sense that we needed it. I think the DS - break before the DS was very much needed as far as kind of the reset, the health. I think this kind of was very comparable. There wasn't any baseball to watch, so we didn't have any watch parties here with the players, so that was a little different. But I think that overall the psyche and the preparation for this series is kind of we're in the same spot.