Kepner: For Dave Dombrowski, another World Series on the path to the Hall of Fame
From SABR member Tyler Kepner at the New York Times on October 19, 2018:
The first time a Dave Dombrowski team won the pennant, long before his Boston Red Sox captured the American League Championship Series here on Thursday night, he just wanted his boss to be happy.
In 1997, Dombrowski was general manager of the Florida Marlins and had taken just five seasons to reach the World Series. But the owner, Wayne Huizenga, who had built a fortune in video stores, had warned Dombrowski he might dismantle the roster. Dombrowski hoped the thrill of winning would overcome Huizenga’s wish to save money.
“I remember in Atlanta after we won the N.L.C.S., he and his group went out — they left the lights on — and they ran the bases, all the Blockbuster guys,” Dombrowski said, on the bench at Minute Maid Park before Boston’s series-clinching 4-1 victory over the Astros in Game 5 on Thursday.
“I’m sure I was just completely naïve, but I really didn’t think he was going to do it. I thought, probably, he would change his mind. Then all of a sudden you get the news, and it sort of crushes you.”
Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/sports/red-sox-dombrowski-world-series.html
Originally published: October 19, 2018. Last Updated: October 19, 2018.