Dave Roberts managed his first Major League game on June 15, 2015. The Padres' bench coach at the time, Roberts served as interim manager for one game, a 9-1 loss to the A's, before returning to his regular role for the rest of the year. The following season, Roberts was hired to manage the Dodgers. He won his first contest at the helm on Opening Day 2016 -- a 15-0 victory in San Diego -- the first of what is now 1,000 managerial wins in the regular season after Tuesday night's 9-3 victory over the A's. “I mean, 1,000 didn’t even seem on my radar," Roberts said. "That's a long time of consistent winning, let alone keeping a job for 11 years. That's just kind of the life I chose. But yeah, to kind of put your head down and look back and go, ‘Oh my god, I'm here,’ it's mind-blowing." Roberts reached the milestone in his 1,606th game, passing Cap Anson (1,641 decisions) to become the fastest manager to 1,000 wins. In his time as a manager, Roberts' feel for the role has grown with every season. He didn't have to dig deep into that acquired knowledge for win No. 1,000, though, as seven strong innings from Justin Wrobleski and another big night for the offense keyed by homers from Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas got the job done. "Getting to be the winning pitcher in his 1,000th win is super cool and something I kind of had in my mind entering today," said Wrobleski, who became the third 10-game winner in the Majors this year. "Can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for my career and my development. I really wanted to get this done for him." Afterward, Roberts walked off to the field to a chorus of adoration from the sea of Dodgers fans that filled Sutter Health Park. Later, in the clubhouse, Rojas and Freddie Freeman led a champagne toast in Roberts' honor, one of the traditions that has defined this era of Dodgers baseball. Roberts encourages his players to celebrate their individual milestones, but this time, it was his turn.
