The Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the World Series for a second consecutive year but continue to wait on their opponent from the American League.
The Seattle Mariners failed to close out the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series, and the teams are now playing Game 7 at Rogers Centre on Monday night.
Regardless of how that unfolds, and even if the Mariners had won the first AL pennant in franchise history on Sunday night, the Dodgers are guaranteed one full week off before they take the field for Game 1 of the World Series, which is set for Friday.
While there are mixed opinions about the benefits of a long break in the playoffs, Shohei Ohtani believes the time off will ultimately do him and the Dodgers well.
“I do see it as a positive in terms of being able to rest, both as a position player and as a pitcher,” Ohtani said through translator Will Ireton after being named National League Championship Series MVP. “We’ve had some off days, but we’ve played some very meaningful games that were very stressful.
“I think it’s going to be really important for us to be able to have that kind of game edge and to be able to maintain it throughout this week.”
Unlike past seasons, the Dodgers didn’t clinch a first-round bye into the NL Division Series and had to participate in the Wild Card round. They didn’t miss a beat and wound up completing a two-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.
The Dodgers then needed just four games to eliminate the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS before going on to sweep the Milwaukee Brewers, so their ability to make quick work of their opponents has afforded them some extra rest along the way.
Some players have expressed a belief the team ultimately benefitted from only having a one-day break between the end of the regular season and start of their postseason. Of course, the Dodgers conquered the postseason bye last year en route to winning the World Series.
The Dodgers are in a great spot health-wise and need just four more wins to become the first team since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees to repeat as World Series champions.
Will Dodgers have home-field advantage for World Series?
Home-field advantage for the World Series is determined by which team had the better record during the regular season, with the tie-breaker going to head-to-head matchups.
The Dodgers (93-69) finished with a better record than the Mariners (90-72), but behind the Blue Jays (94-68) in the final standings. That means the Dodgers would begin the World Series on the road against the Blue Jays, or at home against the Mariners.
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