Dave Roberts looms as Dodgers’ unlikely playoff X-factor

About a month before his team reported to spring training this year, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sat on the balcony of an upscale restaurant near his offseason home in San Diego, recounting his journey from franchise scapegoat to championship leader. The more Roberts spoke about his professional evolution, the more it became clear that he wasn’t just explaining who he was a manager at that moment. He was envisioning the manager he would become. “At 53,” Roberts said, “I feel I’m just scratching the surface. ” His theory is about to be tested.