The Los Angeles Dodgers had another fantastic season at the plate and on the mound and while they didn’t repeat as World Series champions, there was still plenty for the team to be proud of.
L.A. led the National League in both runs scored and runs allowed this season, which marked their fourth consecutive year doing so. That tied with the New York Yankees for the longest such streak in MLB history, as they accomplished the feat in the American League from 1936-1939.
Along with leading the NL in both of those categories, the Dodgers also paced MLB with a +269 run differential. That was 59 runs better than the San Francisco Giants, who came in second overall but finished one win ahead of the Dodgers.
Their +269 run differential was the second-best in franchise history, trailing the 2019 Dodgers that posted a +273 mark. It also ranked eighth all-time in NL history since 1990, while the 2019 Dodgers ranked sixth.
The top spot is held by the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates, who outscored their opponents by 335 runs throughout the season. The only other NL team to post a run differential of greater than 300 was the 1906 Chicago Cubs, who finished the season at +323.
The Dodgers have now led the NL in run differential every season since 2017. Over that time span, they have outscored their opponents by 1,149 runs, which is the top mark in MLB.
Following the Dodgers are the Houston Astros (+971), Cleveland Indians (+666), Yankees (+649) and Boston Red Sox (+624).
The next closest NL team over that time period is the Cubs, who have a run differential of +483 since 2017.
Among NL West clubs, the Dodgers are the only team to have a positive run differential over that five-year span.
The Giants hold the second spot with a -32 run differential, followed by the Arizona Diamondbacks at -106, the Colorado Rockies at -171 and the San Diego Padres at -448.
During that same stretch, the Dodgers won the NL West four times as part of their run of eight consecutive division titles. They also advanced to the World Series three times.
Kasten: Dodgers had good season but “not what we wanted”
The Dodgers ended up winning 112 games in 2021 and made the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season, but fell short of their ultimate goal.
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten recognized there was a lot to be proud of, but acknowledged the result wasn’t good enough without bringing another World Series trophy to L.A.
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