NEW YORK – Finally, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is without an asterisk.

Starlets are an important part of baseball. They are like the scarlet letter that some players carry their entire baseball life. They often find resonance after their careers end.

New York Yankees right fielder Roger Maris set the single-season home run record in 1961. That year, MLB Commissioner Ford Frick put an asterisk on Maris’ home run record because it took Yankees outfielder Babe Ruth only 154 games to reach 60 home runs in 1927, and Maris needed 162 games to break Ruth’s record.

As a manager, Roberts has carried an asterisk with him for the past four seasons. He led the Dodgers to the World Series championship in 2020. That championship has an asterisk because it came at the end of a season shortened by the coronavirus pandemic. The only difference is that Roberts, whose mother is Japanese and father is African American, was the first manager of Asian descent to win a World Series title.

That asterisk is still there, but Roberts was able to do something Maris couldn’t. He didn’t remove an asterisk. He simply did the same thing, without an asterisk.

The Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 and won the World Series 4-1 on Wednesday. The victory was the eighth championship in Dodgers history, or more importantly, the victory was the first “legitimate” championship for Roberts in just nine seasons as Dodgers manager.

Robert’s second title – and the first without an asterisk – likely punched his ticket to Cooperstown, New York.

Roberts is tied with Tommy Lasorda, who won two championships with the Dodgers, and could join the list of managers with three titles: Tony LaRussa, Sparky Anderson, Miller Huggins and John McGraw. Roberts is within striking distance of Bruce Bochy and Joe Torre, who each have four wins.

Even the legends are within reach if Roberts wants to last that long. Joe McCarthy won seven titles, Casey Stengel seven and Connie Mack five. After Wednesday’s win, Roberts said he was in awe just to be in the same cathedral as these legends.

“Humiliating. I never thought I would be part of the same conversation,” Roberts said. “I’m part of a great organization, a lot of great people around me support me and we’ve won a lot of ball games. This is something I really wanted. I wanted this one.”

Roberts has had an impressive resume since being named Dodgers manager in 2015. He has led the Dodgers to 11 consecutive postseason berths — although Roberts has been criticized for a lack of production with one title before.

When asked about the criticism on Wednesday, Roberts said it was positive.

“I’ll take the high road,” he said. “It’s hard to win a championship, regardless of what your team is like. It’s hard and there’s a reason there hasn’t been a repeat winner since the Yankees. It definitely speaks to the difficulty, the playoff format and all that stuff. I’m going to be in the moment and enjoy this moment to the fullest.”

Maybe not for long. In the Dodgers clubhouse after Wednesday’s game, Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ 30-year-old superstar, suggested to a teammate that the team could win nine more World Series championships.

“I don’t want to come under pressure yet,” said the 52-year-old Roberts. “I was dealing with quite a bit of pressure. I’ll enjoy it. But once we get to spring training, that will certainly be the goal, yes.”

Before Wednesday’s game, I asked Roberts whether the players were getting their due or not. Some athletes always seem to be underestimated while others are always praised. Outfielder Reggie Jackson became Mr. October with the New York Yankees. Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, but will forever be celebrated for winning a title despite having the flu.

Leaders are in a difficult position. They have to rely on the players to perform and it is up to the manager to push the right buttons and put the players in a position to succeed.

Roberts had to be Houdini in the way he led his injury-plagued baseball team, and he did so with one historic hit after another. In fact, after watching first baseman Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 on Monday, Roberts said it was probably one of the most historic moments he had ever seen.

Before Wednesday’s game, I asked Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez what it was like playing for Roberts. “For me, Dave is – I’ve played for four teams now – and Dave is, in my opinion, one of the best managers I’ve ever had,” he said.

“It’s just the confidence he gives the players. He lets you play. He lets you be the player you will always be. He lets you have fun. His communication with his players is one of the best I have had in my career and I think that is why he is so special to this team and the players.”

I first met Roberts in 2004 after he was traded from the Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox. The trade was tough for Roberts. He had settled in after two and a half seasons with the Dodgers.

In 68 games with the Dodgers in 2004, he hit .253 with 7 triples, 2 home runs and 33 stolen bases. A year earlier, in 2003, he had stolen 40 bases. The year before, 45. He became expendable and was given away. I asked him in 2004 if he wanted to be traded, and Roberts was optimistic.

“It’s part of the business,” Roberts said. “I have never asked anyone to feel sorry for me because I believe I have the best job in the world.”

Roberts became a crucial part of the Red Sox, overcoming a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series to win the team’s first World Series title since 1918 in 2004. I remember a conversation with Roberts in a cheering Red Sox clubhouse after the World Series win. He hadn’t played a lick in the World Series, but he celebrated like he had played every minute. He said it was the best feeling of his career. “Being part of a team that is rewriting history, there’s nothing better,” he said.

Things got better on Wednesday as Roberts won his second World Series title as Dodgers manager. When he met with reporters afterward, Roberts made the statement he’d probably been waiting to hear for four years.

When asked about the championship, he replied: “I am sure there is no asterisk here.”

No doubt.