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Dave Roberts officially introduced as Dodgers’ manager

December 1, 2015

Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts is officially introduced as the first minority manager in franchise history at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. (AP Photo/NIck Ut)

By Brian Han

“This is my dream job,” said Dave Roberts with a wide grin.

The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off its offseason moves by welcoming the club’s first minority manager at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.

The 43-year-old already shares a history with the team having played three seasons as a center fielder from 2002 to 2004.

Co-owner Magic Johnson handed him a No. 30 jersey before welcoming him back onto the team.

Despite reports that the managerial race produced a close competition among the many candidates, the Dodgers’ higher ups dispelled those speculations.

“After the first round interview it was almost like he had our answer key to the answers we would like to hear,” said Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations. “It was incredibly impressive. To a man, everyone was blown away by who he is and what he represents. We’re thrilled with the result.”

Roberts admitted that during the process he didn’t think much about the cultural significance as one of the very few minority managers in Major League Baseball. But once the team offered him the position, the idea seemed to have more of an impact.

“There’s a lot of people that paved the way for me to ultimately have this opportunity,” he said. “That isn’t taken lightly.”

Roberts was born in Okinawa, Japan to an African American father and a Japanese mother.

He succeeds former Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly who led the team to three straight National League West titles.