The Los Angeles Dodgers face a long road to get back to the World Series in 2019. However, at least one of them believes this team has the motivation it takes to reach the Fall Classic again.
The Dodgers stumbled out of the gate in the 2018 season, following their crushing 2017 World Series loss to the Houston Astros. They eventually worked their way back to another postseason, then beat the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers en route to another National League pennant.
The Dodgers then fell again in the World Series, this time to the Boston Red Sox in only five games. Despite losing Yasiel Puig and Yasmani Grandal and replacing them with veterans such as Russell Martin and A.J. Pollock, the core of the team that has come up just short each of the last two seasons remains largely intact.
And according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, they are plenty motivated to finish what they started:
“Having that defeat in 2017 and how we let that carry over into the 2018 spring training — that fed into the season, where we got off to that slow start,” Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill said a couple of days before Opening Day. “This year, coming back — guys are a lot more pissed. Guys are pissed. Guys want to go out and win.”
Hill became a key starter for those Dodgers teams throughout both of those playoff runs. Most notably, he dominated the Red Sox throughout Game 4 of that World Series before getting pulled in the seventh inning. The Dodgers’ bullpen proceeded to blow Hill’s lead, and manager Dave Roberts was scrutinized for his decision to remove Hill.
Hill also has some extra motivation to try and reach the game’s biggest stage once again. The 2019 season marks the final year of his contract with the Dodgers. At 39 years old, Hill may be tempted to retire after the season.
