The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants on Saturday to remain undefeated through the first five games of their road trip, set a new L.A. franchise record with 105 wins and tied the organization’s all-time mark that Brooklyn accomplished in 1953.
The Dodgers broke the previous L.A. record that was held by the 2017 club, which was propelled by a historic 43-7 stretch. This year’s Dodgers didn’t produce a similar run and won’t finish with a winning streak longer than seven games.
That was set from May 29 to June 4, and a win on Sunday would not only give the Dodgers consecutive series sweeps to finish the regular season but also tie their longest wining streak of 2019.
Much of the dominance 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, also having won the National League pennant, 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 have responded with successful months in August and September.
As a result the Dodgers ran 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 began Saturday with a 21-game lead in the division, which would be the largest margin in franchise history.
That has them ahead of the MLB record 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 are dealing with several nagging injuries and may not catch the Astros, but have homefield through at least the NL Championship Series.
Game 1 of the NLDS will be played at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 3. The opponent — winner of the Wild Card Game — is not yet known. The St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers each secured a postseason berth but not seeds.
