The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the San Francisco Giants to punctuate the 2019 season and in the process set a franchise record with their 106th win. The Dodgers’ victory on Saturday set what was a brief L.A. record.
The 1953 Brooklyn team previously held the franchise’s all-time wins mark. By setting a record this year, two of the organization’s top three winningest teams have come in the past three seasons.
In 2017 the Dodgers were propelled by a historic 43-7 stretch. This year’s team didn’t produce a similar run but had wire-to-wire dominance.
Much of that came at Dodger Stadium, where L.A. finished with a franchise record 59 wins. It surpassed the total of the 2017 team that won 57 games at Chavez Ravine.
The 1953 Brooklyn club, which reached the World Series, holds the organization’s modern record with 60 home wins; the 1899 Dodgers are the franchise’s all-time leader with 61.
Overall, the Dodgers’ best month of the season was May, when they went 19-7. It was followed by 18 wins in June and after a bit of a drop off in July, they responded with successful months in August and September.
That led to the Dodgers running away with the National League West, clinching a seventh consecutive title at one of the earliest points in franchise history; both by date and games played. They additionally are poised to finish with the largest division lead in franchise history.
The previous MLB record was set by the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, who won the NL West by 20 games.
With the division long having been secured, much of the focus for the Dodgers shifted to health and potentially earning home-field advantage through the World Series. They ultimately fell short of that but finished with the second-best record in baseball.
Game 1 of the NL Division Series will be played at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 3. The opponent will be the winner of the Wild Card Game, which has the Washington Nationals facing the Milwaukee Brewers.
