Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts gets warm welcome from Boston fans at World Series Game 1

BOSTON — The 2018 World Series has plenty of questions. One of the first ones was how Boston Red Sox fans would react to the man leading the opposing team.

That’s because Dave Roberts isn’t just any opposing manager — he’s an opposing manager who has also achieved hero status here in Boston. He’s the Los Angeles Dodgers manager in most circles, but in Boston, he’s beloved for his role in the team’s 2004 postseason comeback against the New York Yankees and ultimately, their curse-breaking World Series title that season.

The question was: Would the Boston fans turn their back on an important ex-player because he now manages their World Series opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Or would they put everything aside for a few minutes and show Roberts a little bit of love.

The answer came during team introductions before Game 1 and it’s proof that Boston fans love their legacy: Roberts got a warm ovation from the Red Sox fans, as well as the few Dodgers fans mixed among them.

Fans stood and cheered for Roberts, almost like he was a Red Sox player, before giving Dodgers players like Manny Machado and Yasiel Puig a less-friendly welcome.

Roberts earned his place in Red Sox lore with “The Steal,” the ninth-inning swiping of second base that led to him scoring the tying run in Game 4 of the ALCS. The Red Sox were down 3-0 in the series, but came back to win Game 4 in 12 innings, then three more games in a row to win the series. They would then sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series since 1918.

Members of that 2004 team will be on hand to throw out the first pitch of Game 2 of the World Series at Fenway, but Roberts won’t be one of them.

“I got wind of it today,” Roberts said Tuesday, prior to Game 1. “And I don’t plan on partaking. But I’ll be there to watch and see those guys throw out the first pitch.”

For the Dodgers manager, one ovation from Red Sox fans is enough.

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Mike Oz is a writer at Yahoo Sports. Contact him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz

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