The Atlanta Braves defeating the Houston Astros in the 2021 World Series extended the Los Angeles Dodgers’ postseason streak to six years of either being eliminated by the eventual champion or capturing the title themselves.
The stretch began with the Dodgers falling to the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 National League Championship Series. That was Dave Roberts’ first year as manager, and although there have been more eliminations in the playoffs, it marked the start of a successful tenure.
After the Cubs, the Houston Astros were next to break the Dodgers’ hearts in the 2017 World Series. Of course, what once appeared to be an all-time Fall Classic has since been stained by one of the sport’s worst cheating scandals.
The Dodgers returned to the World Series in 2018, but appeared overmatched against Mookie Betts and the Boston Red Sox. L.A. managed to win just one game and again had to watch as a team celebrated at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers came roaring back to set a franchise record with 106 wins in 2019, only to get eliminated by Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series. What appeared to be a jarring upset was dampened in some regard as the Wild Card winners went on to defeat the Astros for the championship.
Years of knocking on the door finally paid off for the Dodgers in 2020, when they navigated the largest postseason field in MLB history to capture the organization’s first World Series since 1988.
The Dodgers were a heavy favorite to repeat this year, particularly after trading for Scherzer and Trea Turner, but injuries and an inconsistent offense ultimately became their undoing in the postseason.
Similar to with the Nationals in 2019, they seemingly ran into a buzzsaw of a team in the Braves.
Dodgers’ World Series streak trails Yankees for MLB record
Although it may be difficult to fathom a team either winning the World Series or losing to the champion for more than six consecutive years, the Dodgers’ streak still trails that of the New York Yankees.
For seven years, from 1998-2004, the Yankees won the World Series (three times) or were eliminated by the future championship club. The Yankees’ stretch began with three consecutive titles before October annually gave way to defeat.
Nevertheless, the Yankees remain the last MLB team to repeat as World Series champions (1998-2000) with the Dodgers falling short of accomplishing such this year.
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