Roberts becomes 2nd Black, 1st Asian manager to win World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series championship was no doubt extra special for Dave Roberts, who made some managerial history with his team's victory Tuesday.

Roberts became just the second Black manager to win a World Series. He joins Cito Gaston, who piloted the Toronto Blue Jays to consecutive championships in 1992 and '93, in the exclusive club.

"I'm so proud of him and what he's accomplished," Gaston told Jon Morosi of MLB.com before Game 6. "Playing this season during a pandemic, it hasn't been easy for these guys. You only played 60 ballgames. You had the additional round of playoffs. Then you played five games in a row, seven games in a row, all the way to the World Series.

"Being African-American, being a Black man, I'm very proud of him and happy for him. He's a good guy to have that legacy and carry it forward."

This was Roberts' third time managing in the World Series, having guided the Dodgers to pennants in 2017 and '18. He's one of only four Black managers to win a pennant, alongside Gaston, the Giants' Dusty Baker in 2002, and the Rangers' Ron Washington in 2010 and '11.

The 48-year-old Roberts, who was born in Okinawa, Japan, also became the first manager of Asian descent to win a ring. Roberts' mother is Japanese, and his father, who died in 2017, was Black.

Roberts became the first minority manager in Dodgers history when he was hired in 2015.