The Los Angeles Dodgers officially clinched a seventh consecutive National League West title with their 7-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. In doing so, they became the fastest team in L.A. franchise history to wrap up the division by both date and games played.
The 2019 Dodgers secured the NL West title in the 146th game of the season, which bested the 1977 club that did so in their 151st game. The 2013 Dodgers memorably clinched the NL West at Chase Field on Sept. 19, which previously held as the earliest date during the current seven-year reign.
Furthermore, this year’s Dodgers finished off the NL West by the largest margin in franchise history with an 18-game lead in the division. The previous franchise mark in a clinching game was held by the 1955 team that won the NL by 13.5 games and went on to win the World Series as well.
The 2017 team that took the NL West and baseball by storm clinched with an 11-game lead in the division but fell to the Houston Astros in the Fall Classic. The largest all-time final margin by an NL West champion is 20.0 games, set by the 1975 Cincinnati Reds.
Prior to 2015 the Dodgers had never won three straight division titles in franchise history. The following year they became the first team to win the NL West in four consecutive seasons since the Divisional Era began in 1969 — a record that’s now been extended to seven.
Overall, the Dodgers’ stretch trails only the Atlanta Braves (14) and New York Yankees (nine) for most consecutive division titles since 1969.
The San Francisco Giants were the last club other than the Dodgers to win the NL West, when they did so in 2012 en route to a World Series championship.
In 2015 the Dodgers reached the postseason for a third consecutive season, which set a franchise record that also is now up to seven years. While the 2019 club has secured another October berth, what’s decided beyond that remains unsettled.
The Dodgers still have not secured the top spot in the NL and they remain in contention for the best overall record and home-field advantage through the World Series.
Dodgers clinch dates during current streak of NL West titles
- Sept. 19, 2013; Game 153
- Sept. 24, 2014; Game 159
- Sept. 29, 2015; Game 157
- Sept. 25, 2016; Game 156
- Sept. 22, 2017; Game 154
- Oct. 1, 2018; Game 163
- Sept. 10, 2019; Game 146
