The Los Angeles Dodgers tied a franchise record with 106 wins this season, but it was not enough to clinch a ninth consecutive National League West title as the San Francisco Giants had their own historic season and finished one game ahead in the standings.
The Dodgers are now set to host the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card Game, with first pitch at Dodger Stadium set for 5:10 p.m. PT. L.A. won four of seven contests against St. Louis this season, including two of three at home.
The one-game playoff will mark the sixth postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Cardinals, which is tied for the third-most in MLB history. The Dodgers and New York Yankees top the list with 11 head-to-head playoff matchups, followed by the Yankees and Giants having seven meetings.
The last postseason matchup between L.A. and St. Louis came in the 2014 NL Division Series, which the Cardinals won in four games. They also met in 1985, 2004, 2009 and 2013, with the Dodgers dropping all but one of those series (2009).
2014 NLDS: Cardinals defeat Dodgers, 3-1
The Dodgers came out firing in Game 1 of the 2014 NLDS and held a comfortable 6-1 lead over the Cardinals after five innings. St. Louis would eventually get to Clayton Kershaw, however, and stormed all the way back to earn a 10-9 win at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers bounced back with a victory in Game 2 before the series shifted to Busch Stadium, where the Cardinals won the next two games to take the NLDS, 3-1.
2013 NLCS: Cardinals defeat Dodgers, 4-2
Unlike the teams’ most recent postseason meeting, the Cardinals had home-field advantage in the 2013 NL Championship Series and won their first two games against the Dodgers at Busch Stadium, including a Game 1 matchup that lasted 13 innings.
L.A. and St. Louis then traded victories in Games 3 and 4 at Dodger Stadium before the Dodgers staved off eliminated by winning a pivotal Game 5 on the road. However, the Cardinals would close out the series in convincing fashion as they earned a 9-0 win at Dodger Stadium.
2009 NLDS: Dodgers defeat Cardinals, 3-0
In what still stands as their only series in five head-to-head postseason meetings, the Dodgers swept the Cardinals in three games in the 2009 NLDS.
Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez each had a pair of RBI in the decisive Game 3 at Busch Stadium, going a combined 6-for-10 with three doubles.
2004 NLDS: Cardinals defeat Dodgers, 3-1
The Cardinals couldn’t have envisioned a better start in the 2004 NLDS as they defeated the Dodgers, 8-3, in each of the first two games at Busch Stadium.
L.A. answered back with a 4-0 win at Dodger Stadium in Game 3, but were eliminated the following day after Albert Pujols drove in four runs in St. Louis’ 6-2 victory.
1985 NLCS: Cardinals defeat Dodgers, 4-2
The 1985 NLCS started with the Dodgers defeating the Cardinals in the first two games at Dodger Stadium. As the matchup shifted to Busch Stadium, St. Louis returned the favor by earning three consecutive wins against L.A. to take a 3-2 lead in the series.
Facing elimination in Game 6, the Dodgers were three outs away from forcing a winner-take-all Game 7. However, Tom Niedenfuer allowed a two-out, go-ahead three-run homer to Jack Clark that gave the Cardinals a 7-5 lead.
Ken Dayley then retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to punch St. Louis’ ticket to the World Series, where they were defeated by the Kansas City Royals in seven games.
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