Dodgers' Roberts reveals bet with Bochy over NL West race

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Winning a franchise-record 107 games got the Giants their first National League West title since 2012. It also will lead to a nice bottle of wine for the manager who led that 2012 team to a World Series title. 

During his press conference before Wednesday's NL Wild Card Game, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that he made a bet with Bruce Bochy over the NL West race. Roberts came up one game short. 

"I did lose a bet to Bruce Bochy. I lost a dinner and a nice bottle of bordeaux, because we didn't win the division," Roberts said. "He had the Giants, I had the Dodgers."

Roberts said the bet was made early in the second half. He joked that knowing Bochy, the bottle wasn't going to be cheap, something Bochy confirmed via text message.

"There's a dinner involved too!" he said. "I'm fasting for 3 days before we go out! The wine will (be) more than the dinner!"

Roberts played for Bochy for two seasons in San Diego and then followed him to San Francisco for two more seasons. The two are close, and they later had some fun battles as managers of NL West rivals. Roberts had won the NL West in his first five seasons as manager, but Gabe Kapler's Giants finished a game ahead this season. 

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That led to the question Roberts was answering when he revealed the bet. He was asked if the playoff format should change to assure that a 106-win team like the Dodgers wouldn't face a winner-take-all Wild Card Game. 

"I haven't done enough work on what's a better solution," Roberts said. "Can I sit here and say this is not ideal after you win X amount of games? (It's) not ideal but it is what it is, and I just don't want our guys and expect our guys to think otherwise.

"Until they change it, this is the way the format is. I'm sure you have better insights than I do. I just don't know. I don't have a better solution right now."

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