The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2022 season with sky-high expectations after signing Freddie Freeman, and so far, they have met and possibly exceeded them.
On Wednesday, the club won their MLB-best 107th game of the season, which broke their franchise record for most victories in a single season. Their previous record was 106, which was set in both 2019 and 2021, and they additionally became the first club in MLB history to win 106 games in three consecutive full seasons.
While the Dodgers’ ultimate goal is to win the World Series, and there will be a lot of disappointment if they don’t achieve that, Freeman believes setting the franchise record still has a lot of meaning regardless of what happens in the postseason, and credited the pitching staff for allowing them to accomplish it.
“That’s a lot of wins if you really think about it,” Freeman said. “A lot of good things and a lot of good things have to happen from a lot of guys. Not just 26 guys, it has to be 40 to 45 guys that have to contribute to be able to do that.
“If you think about it, it’s pitching. Our pitching has been absolutely phenomenal all season long. They gave us a chance. We haven’t done really well with runners in scoring position the last couple days, and they put up zeros all day until we got one in.
“Our pitching has been incredible. Pitching is the reason you win that many games and championships. We’ve been doing it all year.”
The Dodgers franchise was founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays and went through multiple name changes before becoming the Brooklyn Dodgers for one year in 1913, and again in 1932 until moving to L.A. in 1958.
That gives them a nearly 140-year history that has been filled with great teams and champions, but still, none of those teams have ever won more games than the 2022 Dodgers.
“I think at this moment it’s hard,” manager Dave Roberts said when asked to put their franchise win record into perspective. “I don’t know how many years the Dodgers have had a team, so you’ve got to go a ways back. Not just the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Brooklyn Dodgers. To know we’ve made our mark on Dodgers history is pretty remarkable.
“A lot of people have had their hands in this. Not just this year, but building where we’re at right now. It’s something to be part of, it’s part of the journey. We still have a lot of baseball to go, but there’s certain markers you have to take notice of and celebrate. This is certainly one.”
While winning 100 or more games has become the norm for the Dodgers in recent seasons, they have still only done it 10 times in franchise history, and it’s a mark most teams don’t reach as it has only been done 114 times in MLB history.
Freeman spent the first 12 years of his career with the Atlanta Braves and often played on playoff contenders, but one thing he was never able to do there was play on a 100-win club, which further signifies just how difficult it is to accomplish. Over Freeman’s tenure there, the Braves peaked at 97 wins during the 2019 season.
“It’s a pretty good first season, huh? It’s cool,” Freeman said. “Once October 11 hits, nobody is going to care how many wins you had in the regular season. That’s the big thing.
“But we’re here in the regular season, so we might as well get as many wins as we possibly can. You’ve got to play good baseball from start to finish to accomplish something like this, and we’ve been doing it.”
Freddie Freeman recalls loudest moment at Dodger Stadium
The Dodgers have already clinched home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs, and they are closing in on doing so through the World Series with a magic number of two.
L.A. once again leads baseball in attendance and Dodger Stadium has often been mentioned by visiting players as being particularly imposing come the playoffs. Freeman has spent the majority of his career experiencing that, and Juan Uribe’s home run in Game 4 of the 2013 NL Division Series is a moment he won’t forget.
“It’s the only stadium with four decks and 50,000-plus people, and they are loud,” Freeman said.
“The loudest stadium I’ve ever heard was this place in 2013 when Juan Uribe hit that home run. This place can get deafening, so to have home-field advantage all the way through the NLCS is a big deal.”
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