The Los Angeles Dodgers fell one win short of a World Series championship last season, but are well-positioned for another deep postseason run in 2018.
The club is favored by many computer models to not only win their sixth consecutive National League West division title, but also return to the NL Championship Series for a third consecutive year.
While the Dodgers have struggled to get over the hump in recent years, Hall-of-Fame manager Tommy Lasorda believes the Dodgers’ drought will finally end this season, per Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
“I think this is the year. I can’t wait for these guys to celebrate a World Series win. That would make me the happiest guy in the world. They are such outstanding players and great young men. They’re well-educated, well-mannered guys. I want them to raise that flag.”
Lasorda led the Dodgers to their last championship in 1988, the second and final World Series title of his illustrious managerial career.
Los Angeles enters the 2018 season with most of its core in tact from last season, which features the likes of three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, and back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners in Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger.
Though the Dodgers passed on expensive and splashy acquisitions during the offseason, the club is confident that their existing blend of youth, veterans and depth can propel them past the finish line in 2018.
The quest begins on Thursday, when the Dodgers host the rival San Francisco Giants for the first of a four-game series. Kershaw is expected to make his franchise-record eighth consecutive Opening Day start, while Ty Blach will take the mound as a replacement for the injured Madison Bumgarner.
