How the Dodgers' players moved in and took control of their World Series adventure

When the Los Angeles Dodgers were at their lowest, Dave Roberts did something he couldn't remember doing in any of his first nine seasons as manager: He called a preseason meeting. The Dodgers faltered. Their injuries mounted, the final blow coming with the news that Tyler Glasnow would be out for the rest of the year because his sprained right elbow wasn't cooperating enough to play a scheduled simulation game.

“I just felt like the squad was a little bit shaky in terms of the talent to win 11 games in October,” Roberts recalled recently The athlete.

That meeting, a call from Roberts for players to show trust in one another, prompted the Dodgers to move inward, prepare for the long haul and begin a new approach to the postseason. While the Dodgers are sometimes perceived as a top-down operation with the front office dictating virtually every move, it was the players who took control of the team's October plans, from watch parties during the Division Series to buses and Airplanes only for player rides.

The players say the time they spent together has brought them closer together and helped bring them within four wins of their first World Series title since 2020 and first in a full season since 1988.

“We don’t let the organization tell us what we do,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “The players say, 'This is what we do.'”

Shohei Ohtani, Kiké Hernández and Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrate in a cramped locker room after eliminating the Mets. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The day Roberts gathered his group in Atlanta, timing was important. The team was coming off a pair of losses, with Walker Buehler on the mound and suddenly playing a larger role in the organization's October plans. The message was even more critical.

“They recognized, without a doubt, that there was enough talent on this team to win a championship,” Roberts said. “As a coach, the message is also: I can believe in you until the cows come home. But if you don't believe in each other more than I believe in you, then it's all for nothing. It was a challenge for the boys.”

The Dodgers picked up on the news. If they were to achieve their goals, the impetus would have to come from the remaining talent of an organization hit hard by injuries. Over the course of an October in which they recovered from a series deficit, eliminated the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series and scored a postseason record 46 runs to beat the New York Mets and into the World Series To return, the Dodgers prevailed against them through recent October history. They came closer.

And they did it their way.

What started with suggestions from the likes of Muncy, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Miguel Rojas, Kiké Hernández and others evolved into a different approach to how the Dodgers viewed October. Instead of limiting themselves to what they had done in previous years, they tried to recreate the circumstances of their title run in 2020, when teams spent the entire postseason in a bubble designed to protect players from COVID-19. Instead of focusing on winning, they focused on each other.

“We did it this way for so long and we didn’t win anything,” Betts said. “So, switch it up.”

Plans began to solidify before the Dodgers began their five-day bye. Smith, Rojas and Muncy each formulated ideas to keep the group together during the layoff. During its first two years in the postseason format, the organization tried various methods, from simulated games to allowing season ticket holders into the stands. It was businesslike: players entered the stadium for a few hours, but rarely spent that time as they would during a season.

“Everyone is so stressed about the five days off when you get the goodbye,” Muncy said. “The reality is that it is a reward. You deserve to say goodbye. We wanted to treat it that way.”

So they held viewing parties just for players to see who they would attract. They provided food, from chicken parmesan and pasta to other nice restaurants in the area. They equipped the Yaamava' Dugout Club at Dodger Stadium with ping pong tables and pool tables. The emphasis was on being together, just them.

As Max Muncy put it, “The more time we spent together, the closer we all became.” (Harry How / Getty Images)

Muncy said the time away from the ballpark in recent playoffs has made it difficult for players to get back into competitive mode. But this year, the Dodgers didn't spend their bye week obsessing over the task at hand.

“We didn’t talk about baseball,” Teoscar Hernández said. “We didn't talk about anything related to our work. It was just: having fun. The boys who drink, drink. The boys who play cards play cards. Just do little things.”

“To shoot the s and just have a nice evening,” said Alex Vesia, “it’s perfect.”

“The more time we spent together, the closer we all became,” Muncy said. “We were already a well-rehearsed team. And now it seems like we’re closer than ever before.”

That continued into the postseason. Instead of driving themselves or their families down Interstate 5 from Dodger Stadium to San Diego during the NLDS, as is typical during the regular season, they put a separate bus into service and required players to travel together. “It was almost reminiscent of a trip to the minor leagues,” Muncy said.

Upon arrival, the players and coaches were housed in a hotel separate from other Dodgers employees and personnel.

When the team advanced to the NLCS against the Mets, the same concepts applied. Players flew to New York separately from their families and attended separate team-only dinners (wives and families did the same on their own).

The idea came from the Dodgers' veterans, who brought it up to Roberts.

“I love it because there are no excuses,” Roberts said. “This is what you wanted. Come to your player thread. You're all talking about it. Is that what you want? Okay, done.

“The players used to patrol the clubhouses. It's not the same anymore. If you have skin in the game, if the players control it and manage themselves, then that's the best way. This is how it should work. Always.”

Roberts made it to the management level of the Dodgers, including on the business side. The additional hotels, buses and flights involved additional costs but were approved immediately.

“Our only goal is to win as many games as possible,” said club president Stan Kasten. “And we want to offer our players the best possible conditions. If they have ideas that are logical and sensible, we don’t mind spending a little money or going a little further to help them achieve that goal.”

The idea was simple: eliminate distractions and create an environment where players stay connected at all times. Just like in the artificial bubble of 2020, the Dodgers were in the same place together for weeks.

You have reaped the benefits. The conversations in the cage, Betts said, went beyond just baseball. The bus ride to San Diego, Kiké Hernández recalled, was “like a party bus.” On the team-only flight to New York, music was constantly playing, even as Shohei Ohtani laughed his way through the comics.

“Regardless of the results, we will get through this as a team, as an organization,” Miguel Rojas said.

“I think that's the difference from the last two years…just hanging out and making sure we're together,” Freddie Freeman said.

That brings them back here, four wins away from winning it all. Even if it meant sacrificing time with their loved ones.

“I love being with my family, just like everyone else,” Betts said. “But right now we have to be teammates, laugh, joke, whatever. Together.”

(Illustration: Meech Robinson, The athlete. Photos: Sean M. Haffey, Kevork Djansezian / Getty Image; Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire)