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2024 MLB Postseason: What’s Next For Dodgers After Clinching NL West?

Blake Williams
4 Min Read
Sep 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Dodgers team photo after clinching the National League West by defeating the San Diego Padres 7-2 at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Despite a season filled with challenges, the Los Angeles Dodgers once again found themselves atop the National League West in 2024.

The Dodgers clinched the division title on Thursday against the San Diego Padres, marking their 11th NL West championship in the past 12 seasons.

Although the Dodgers had their streak of consecutive NL West titles snapped at eight by the San Francisco Giants in 2021, the franchise is in the midst of a historic stretch.

In 2016, the Dodgers became the first team in MLB history to win the NL West in four consecutive seasons since the Divisional Era began in 1969. Overall, the Dodgers’ streak of eight trailed only the Atlanta Braves (14) and New York Yankees (nine) for most division titles in a row since 1969.

The Dodgers’ stretch of 12 consecutive postseason berths is also the third-longest streak in MLB history.

With the Dodgers locked into the playoffs as the NL West champions, there are still some things left to play for before the postseason begins.

NL West clinched: What’s next for Dodgers?

The Dodgers are facing the Colorado Rockies in a three-game series at Coors Field to close out the regular season. The weekend could prove to decide their seeding in the NL postseason bracket, which is still up in the air.

The Dodgers clinched a top-two spot, guaranteeing they’ll skip the Wild Card Series and head straight to the NL Division Series.

Whether the Dodgers finish as the top seed or second behind the Philadelphia Phillies is still to be determined. They are ahead of the Phillies by one game with a magic number of three to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NL.

The Dodgers also have a chance to finish with the best record in baseball, which would guarantee home field advantage through the World Series. The Phillies are also in second there, while the New York Yankees are two games behind the Dodgers.

Where L.A. finishes in the standings will determine their seeding and who they could potentially match up against in the NLDS.

As things currently stand, if they finish as the one seed, they would be set to play the winner of the Padres versus New York Mets Wild Card matchup. However, that is subject to change as well.

The two-seed would line the Dodgers up to face the winner of the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The NL Wild Card picture is still to be determined with the Padres as the only team that’s clinched a playoff spot among the contenders.

The Atlanta Braves trail the Diamondbacks by just one game.

All four Wild Card clubs are also matching up this week with the Mets and Braves playing a doubleheader on Monday while the Padres end their season against the Diamondbacks.

Prior to that doubleheader, the Mets face off against the Brewers while the Braves play the Kansas City Royals.

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Blake Williams is a journalist from Reseda, Calif., who is currently the Managing Editor for Dodger Blue. He previously worked as a Managing Editor for Angels Nation, as a staff writer at Dodgers Nation, as the Managing Editor and Sports Editor for the Roundup News at L.A. Pierce College, and as an Opinion Editor for the Daily Sundial at California State University, Northridge. Blake graduated Cum Laude from CSUN with a major in journalism and a minor in photography/video. He is now pursuing his master's degree from the University of Alabama. Blake is also always open to talk Star Wars with you. Contact: Blake@mediumlargela.com