TORONTO — Miguel Rojas laughed as he recalled when he used to be a “shield” in public for the likes of Shohei Ohtani or Freddie Freeman.
“I would walk out front because nobody was going to recognize me,” he said.
Rojas can point to the exact moment when he lost his anonymity: Game 7 of the World Series, ninth inning, the Dodgers down to their final two outs. His line drive over the left-field wall sent the game into extra innings, the signature play of a 5-4, 11-inning victory that secured the Dodgers’ third title in six years.
“That homer,” Rojas said, “changed my life.”
Returning to the Rogers Centre on Monday for the start of a significantly less important three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Rojas could marvel at what the homer did for him.
The previously-unknown Venezuelan utilityman was recognized while vacationing with his family on the other side of the world, asked to pose for pictures at the Trevi Fountain in Rome and on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea. He was asked to appear on various television programs. He was invited to present an award at the Latin Grammys.
Set to retire at the end of the season, the 37-year-old Rojas is now wondering if he can parlay his newfound fame in his next career.
Even before the homer, he already had many of the qualities that would make him an attractive candidate for such a position.
He’s a 13-year veteran with experience in a variety of roles, from starter to reserve to something in between. He has expertise in multiple defensive positions. He’s a clear communicator in both English and Spanish.
Rojas now also has a level of cachet that other aspiring managers don’t have, courtesy of his blast that broke 19 million Canadian hearts.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is familiar with the transformative effects of a timeless October moment.
As a player, Roberts was associated with one play — his stolen base for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series.
Roberts’ steal came with the Red Sox facing elimination in the bottom of the ninth inning. Roberts went on to score, and the Red Sox went to win the game, as well as the pennant and the World Series.
“I do think that me having a moment in October certainly helped spur my career,” Roberts said. “The name-recognition piece didn’t hurt.”
For Roberts and Rojas, their respective postseason heroics were emblematic of who they are, both as players and as men.
They’re grinders who make the most of their talent, as well as their chances. They don’t waver when the odds are against them.
Their career-defining plays emphasized what they were about.
“For Miggy, obviously, the track record of a player, the knowledge of the game, the love of the game, and then now you put the cherry on top with a huge moment in the World Series, I think it rounds out his resume,” Roberts said.
Rojas is hopeful that is the case. But he also doesn’t want to be overly reliant on the memory of a single play to get him where he eventually wants to be.
“I’m more than just a home run,” Rojas said.
Rojas is already showing that, saying he wants to learn as much as he can about the management side of an organization. He plans to work next season for the Dodgers as a player development instructor.
“I don’t want to waste any time,” he said.
Which is why Rojas has received permission from Roberts to ask him during games what he’s thinking. Rojas has also made it a point to observe how Roberts communicates with his coaches.
“I think he’ll manage in the big leagues,” Roberts said. “Interestingly enough, I think that moment that he had will actually help not just the hiring process, I think it’ll more importantly help the day-to-day role as a manager. You performed in a big moment and you can relate to coming off the bench and being there and being a champion. I think the players respect that.”
“I don’t really know if an opportunity is going to present itself two years from now, or if it’s going to be in 15 years managing the Dodgers,” he said. “You never know.”
Rojas doesn’t mind. He’s waited for his pitch before. He can wait again.
