The first Major League Baseball team to reach the postseason is the only one that’s been there seven years in a row: The Los Angeles Dodgers, who booked their ticket via the National League West division championship with a 7-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
It’s Lucky No. 7 for the Boys in Blue: Their seventh straight division title, a span that predates the rival San Francisco Giants’ most recent World Series title.
That brings up a sore subject for the Dodgers, though. All these division titles, and no World Series rings to show for it. Could this be the year that changes? The Dodgers have all the weapons you need, and they’ve been bridesmaids each of the past two seasons.
They’ll give it another go in 2019.
NL WEST CHAMPS? YOU ALREADY KNOW.
The Dodgers are the NL West Champs for the seventh consecutive year! #LABleedsBlue pic.twitter.com/WjT4EKoBYQ
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 11, 2019
How they got here … again
Last year, after an emotionally draining Game 7 loss to the Houston Astros in 2017, the Dodgers started off very slow. They trailed the Arizona Diamondbacks by as many as nine games in May and had to fight off the D’backs and Colorado Rockies the whole season, finally winning the title with a victory over Rockies in a Game No. 163 playoff.
No such problems this time around. After a six-game losing streak to drop to 8-8 early, the Dodgers trailed by 3 in the division. But they won their next six in a row to take over the division lead and haven’t given it back since.
In fact, L.A. was up by 8.5 games by the end of May, 12 games by the end of June and 15 by the end of July. At that point, the race was essentially over.
The Dodgers have starting pitching riches. Start with Clayton Kershaw, then add in second-year sensation Walker Buehler and Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has enjoyed the best year of his career, and you’ve got a formidable rotation before you even get to solid options like Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Julio Urias.
The lineup is perhaps even better. Cody Bellinger turned from a solid option into a leading MVP candidate. Max Muncy continued his breakout from last year. Joc Pederson became more powerful and Cory Seager is healthy after missing most of last season. Add A.J. Pollock and young sluggers like Will Smith and Gavin Lux, and you can see the depth of the lineup.
The bullpen has been a question mark, no doubt, but it’s been good enough to get the Dodgers to 94-52, best record in the National League by four games over the Atlanta Braves.
As the Dodgers look to clinch their seventh straight NL West title tonight, here’s a look back at the last six division clinching moments pic.twitter.com/cCGzAi86Fo
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) September 10, 2019
Is this the year?
Of course, another division title will ring hollow in Hollywood if it’s not finally accompanied by that elusive World Series ring.
The Dodgers finally broke through and reached the World Series for the first time in 29 years in 2017. They followed up last year’s slog to win the division with another NL pennant, only to fall in five games to the Boston Red Sox in the Fall Classic.
So how about this year? It won’t be easy. The Braves have improved, with young stars Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies forming a formidable core with mainstay Freddie Freeman and newcomer Josh Donaldson. The Cardinals are having a magical year, and both the Nationals and Cubs have plenty of talent and postseason experience.
And even if L.A. can make it back to the World Series for the third straight year, the opponent could be another powerhouse. The Astros and New York Yankees share baseball’s best record, one game better than the Dodgers. Both have home run power up and down the lineup, ]the Astros boast baseball’s best rotation and the Yankees have a lockdown bullpen.
Is division title No. 7 in a row lucky for the Dodgers? There’s only one way to find out, and as of Tuesday, the Dodgers are the first ones with their dance card.
The @Dodgers are the NL West champions.
This is the second-earliest date any team has clinched the NL West title behind the 1975 Reds, who clinched on September 7 (and went on to win the World Series).#LABleedsBlue
— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) September 11, 2019
