Aaron Boone, Dave Roberts facing similar pressures in Yankees-Dodgers World Series matchup

Modern baseball means teams considering a playoff appearance a victory in and of itself. In an era where some owners either aren’t trying to contend or doing just enough to get into the postseason, the Yankees and Dodgers stand out as the rare teams where winning the World Series isn’t just a goal, it’s an expectation.

Yet in an era with so much parity, it’s even more difficult to meet those expectations. That’s why the respective owners of the Yankees and Dodgers spend money to create championship rosters, blowing past the luxury tax threshold and regularly competing for the top free agents on the market every winter, sparing few expenses. So while a pennant might be considered a good season for other teams, for the two teams in the 2024 World Series, simply settling for a pennant is considered a failure.

“It’s part of the beauty of it,” manager Aaron Boone said Monday at Yankee Stadium ahead of Game 3. “There are tremendous expectations for good reason. We try and run to those and embrace it and work really hard to put ourselves in a position to have an opportunity to do this — compete for a world championship.”

Boone is keenly aware of this pressure having played for the Yankees in 2003, and though it was only 71 games, 17 of those were in the playoffs and the former third baseman became a hero with his walk-off home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS. The theatrics clinched a pennant for New York and eliminated the Boston Red Sox. It’s the stuff of legends and lore, something these two teams have never had a shortage of throughout their illustrious histories.

But Boone has never been afforded any sort of goodwill from being a franchise icon. It’s a different sort of pressure than what his counterpart in the other dugout faces, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Roberts had his own heroic playoff moment that came a year after Boone’s, oddly enough for the Red Sox. Their stories are somewhat similar and their paths to this point have crossed many times. Boone, an Orange County native, played college baseball for USC, while Roberts went to high school just south of Boone in North San Diego County and went on to play for UCLA.

They played against one another in crosstown showdowns and again in the big leagues. They now play golf together on occasion, forging a friendship in their shared past and the weight of the expectations both face.

“I think that Aaron and I have that in common,” Roberts said. “I guess it’s a privilege to have those expectations. I love what I do and I do it because I love the game and the players. You just kind of sort of live with whatever result. But, yeah, that’s the reality of our two jobs.”

However, they operate differently in their respective dugouts.

Roberts tends to put a positive spin on just about everything, which probably works in the sunny Southland, but has often drawn criticism from those who want to see more fire in tense situations. The Dodgers’ relative lack of World Series success to this point has led many in baseball to question whether Roberts is the right person for the job.

Boone is fiercely loyal to his clubhouse and often defensive when questioned about his managerial moves and lineup moves. It’s a much more New York-type of attitude, and one that shows he’s willing to take flack to protect his players from it. He’s gregarious, but fiery, known for having been ejected more than any other manager in recent seasons.

Roberts is more prone to making lineup changes, having made several already in the postseason depending on personnel and matchups. Boone likes to stick with successful lineups and processes. His generational hitter, Aaron Judge, has only one hit in the World Series so far and yet Boone is not planning on moving him out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup anytime soon.

“I considered a couple things on the long flight home, but this is what I settled on,” he said.

So the question becomes, Yankees down 2-0, should he move Judge? His protege in Queens, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, waited until after the Dodgers took a 3-1 lead to make lineup changes in the NLCS. They worked in Game 5 as the Mets forced a sixth game, but they were ultimately too little, too late. Boone doesn’t have the same lineup flexibility that Roberts has with a roster full of tough hitters that can play multiple defensive positions at a high level.

Boone and Roberts are capable of handling the scrutiny of the World Series and they’re going to manage in different ways. It’s unfortunate that one way will be considered a failure and one will be considered a success, but that’s the reality of managing teams that expect nothing less than a World Series win year after year.