The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a seventh consecutive National League West title at one of the earliest dates in franchise history and two weeks later secured home-field advantage at least through the NL Championship Series.
They remained in the hunt for the best record in baseball into this past weekend, and though the Houston Astros wound up atop the MLB standings, it certainly was not for a lack of effort from the Dodgers. Juggling health and keeping intensity, they closed the season on a seven-game winning streak.
It tied the best stretch of the season and propelled the Dodgers to a franchise-best 106 wins. The record had previously been held by the 1953 Brooklyn team that reached the World Series.
L.A. rewrote the record book behind a shut out on Sunday that completed a sweep of the San Francisco Giants. Corey Seager gave the Dodgers an early lead when he came up to bat with the bases loaded in the first inning and cleared them with a double.
Following the 9-0 win, Seager acknowledged the significance of the Dodgers’ accomplishment but also reiterated the team has a larger goal, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“It’s special, obviously. It’s really special. It’s an accomplishment, it’s something to celebrate, but the work’s not done. We’re going to try and go finish the business.”
Potential NL MVP Cody Bellinger shared a similar opinion on the Dodgers’ season and road ahead:
“Pretty incredible obviously, with the history of this organization and everything about it. It’s a really special year but there is still more to be done, and we all know that.”
Justin Turner highlighted the Dodgers’ ability to remain focused against opponents who were out of the playoff picture:
“It means we’ve got a lot of really good players in here, a lot of guys who had great years and experienced a lot of success. That was reflected in the win column. It’s pretty special. … We won our last seven against teams where you could easily show up and take it for granted and lose those games.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke with a sense of pride when reflecting on his team’s record-setting season:
“I’m going to take a moment to appreciate what we did as an organization. When you’re talking about the regular season and all those great teams in Dodgers history, it takes a lot to accomplish what we did as a group and organization. There’s a lot to be said for that. Very proud of everyone top to bottom. It’s something no one can take away from us. It speaks to the character, the work ethic, the talent, just the togetherness of everyone. Very proud.”
Now the Dodgers head into the postseason with a matchup against the NL Wild Card Game winner. They went 4-3 against both the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers during the regular season.
Should the Dodgers reach the World Series, they will have home-field advantage over every team except the Houston Astros.
