After airline delays in Canada, Dodgers’ Dave Roberts downplays viral feedback: ‘It was just a long day’

LOS ANGELES — After questioning aloud if “there was intent” concerning airline delays for his staff’s touring celebration leaving Toronto, Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts downplayed any suggestion that the Canadian authorities had performed a job in his workers’s hellish journey day.

“I know the Prime Minister is not worried about calling airline security or the FAA to make sure that they delay us,” Roberts instructed The Athletic. “I know that. Obviously. I think the Prime Minister has bigger fish to fry.”

The Dodgers have been scheduled to work out at 5 p.m. at Dodger Stadium, which is able to host the Blue Jays for Game 3 of the World Series on Monday. But Roberts and his workers didn’t arrive on the ballpark till round that point, after shedding a number of hours to delays whereas flying from Toronto Pearson Airport to Los Angeles International Airport.

When requested at his information convention in regards to the journey, Roberts managed a smile.

“I don’t want to get too far into it,” he stated. “I just arrived about 30 minutes ago. So there was some delays. I don’t know if there was intent or not. But, man, the international stuff was a bear. But we made it.”

The feedback sparked some outrage on social media, partially, as a result of United States customs would course of the staff’s return to California. The Blue Jays cross the border, passing by way of U.S. customs, on each street journey. When they return to Toronto, there’s one other cease with Canadian customs. At factors this yr, although, notably stringent customs officers have delayed the staff for over an hour. It’s an accepted facet of Major League Baseball exterior the United States.

When later approached by The Athletic, Roberts conceded that he “could have omitted ‘intent,’” when outlining the journey woes.

For the World Series video games in Toronto, which the 2 groups cut up, the Dodgers carried a touring celebration of about 400 folks unfold throughout 4 planes. The gamers fly on their very own airplane, which left Toronto after the sport on Saturday and arrived in Los Angeles with out incident. Roberts, the coaches and the remainder of the workers didn’t depart till Sunday morning.

“The process was very long,” Roberts stated. “But a lot of it had to do with our big, huge, four-plane travel party. It’s just a part of international travel. And passports. Airline security. That’s part of it.”

For what it’s price, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney did decide the Blue Jays to win in six. But that was unrelated to the Dodgers’ points leaving the nation on Sunday.

“Canada is not trying to sabotage the Dodgers,” Roberts stated. “I know that. It was just a long day.”

The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon contributed to this report