The Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series in 2020 ended more than three decades of heartache for the franchise but further heightened expectations for this season. Particularly with the Dodgers signing reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer.
There already are discussions about the 2021 Dodgers being their most talented team yet, and one capable of breaking the Seattle Mariners’ Major League record of 116 wins.
Of course, L.A. remains focused on capturing another World Series title rather than achieving regular-season greatness. Manager Dave Roberts and several players have asserted the team will avoid any sort of hangover, which — along with injuries — was a factor in 2018.
Being defending champions this time around presents another challenge: repeating. No MLB team has won back-to-back titles since the New York Yankees rattled off three straight from 1998-2000.
The last time the Dodgers entered a regular season fresh off a World Series win — 1989 — they finished 77-83 and in fourth place of a six-team National League West division. The 1988 championship club won 94 games.
In the 20 seasons since the Yankees were the last team to repeat, only nine times did the defending champion reach the postseason.
“I think we have a pretty good idea since we’ve been to three of the last four World Series and only were able to come away with the trophy one time,” Justin Turner said of the difficult to win one title, much less defend it.
“This room knows how difficult it is, how big of a challenge it is just to make it to the World Series. And then once you’re there, it’s even harder to win those last four games. Hopefully we can break this little dry spell like we broke the [31] years of L.A. not having a championship.
“I don’t think we’re looking at this year different than any other year. Every year I’ve been a Dodger, we’ve come in and talked about winning a World Series. Just because we were able to accomplish that last year, it doesn’t change anything about our goals this year.”
Dodgers yet to have repeat World Series champion
Including the franchise’s history in Brooklyn, the Dodgers now have won seven World Series. However, none of those titles came in consecutive years. The closest they came was winning championships in 1963 and 1965.
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