World Series champion and manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts joined Off The Mound with Ryan Dempster to discuss the milestone of being only the second Black and first Asian manager to win a World Series.

“I got a call from Cito [Gaston], a man that I didn’t know but I certainly respected from afar…For me to get a call from him was crazy amazing,” Roberts said. “I know my mom’s family back in Japan were very excited for me. To be biracial, it’s something that I do feel we can be better at in our industry as far as having diversity…on the player’s side, the front office, the coaching side. I do feel that I’m sort of creating opportunities, and I want to continue to be good so other minorities do get an opportunity.”

Roberts believes that this past year was a step in the right direction as far as starting a conversation about diversity in the MLB.

“I was always the guy that, ‘you’re a ballplayer. You stay in your lane. You play baseball, and that’s what you do,'” he said. “This year forced my players and I to come out of our comfort zone to speak up about what’s right.”

Tune in every Friday for a new episode of Off the Mound with Ryan Dempster on Marquee Sports Network.