ARLINGTON, Texas — As a father of two, Dave Roberts is a true believer.
“Dad strength,” he declared Sunday morning, “is real.”
Which, naturally, made the Dodgers manager all the more excited about the return of the team’s newest dad: Shohei Ohtani.
“Now that he is a father,” Roberts joked, “we might see some 120 [mph] exit velos off the bat.”
Indeed, when Ohtani rejoined the Dodgers on Easter morning, after being away for two games for the birth of his first child this weekend, he was met with a wave of congratulations — and also a hint of expectation.