The Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket for the 2026 MLB postseason on Monday by taking the opener of their road series against the Cincinnati Reds.
They had been in a clinch scenario since Saturday, but failed to secure a spot for October baseball over the weekend due to consecutive losses to the Miami Marlins.
Entering play Monday, the Dodgers were in position to qualify for the playoffs through their own win, or with losses by the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers extended MLB’s longest active postseason streak to 14 consecutive seasons, tying the Atlanta Braves’ (1991-2005) run for the longest such stretch in MLB history.
The Dodgers joined the Milwaukee Brewers, who secured their spot last Friday, as the only National League teams to clinch a playoff berth so far this year. Over in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays also qualified for October baseball with their victory on Friday.
In 2016, the Dodgers became the first team in MLB history to win the NL West four years in a row since the Divisional Era began in 1969. That record ultimately was extended to eight consecutive NL West titles, but was snapped by the Giants’ surprising 2021 season.
Overall, the Dodgers trailed only the Braves (14) and New York Yankees (nine) for the longest streak of division titles since 1969.
L.A. also set an NL record earlier this season with their 16th consecutive winning season, surpassing the 2008-22 St. Louis Cardinals, 1991-2005 Braves, 1939-1953 Cardinals and 1899-1913 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Next for Dodgers: NL West title
The Dodgers’ win on Monday has lowered their magic number to three for the NL West division title.
L.A.’s surge in the standings was powered by a recent eight-game winning streak that began on Sept. 3 with a walk-off hit from Teoscar Hernández.
With the NL West pretty much in hand, the last item of note on the agenda is playoff seeding. Entering October as the No. 3 seed in the NL did not prevent the Dodgers from lifting the commissioner’s trophy last season, but they would much prefer to avoid the Wild Card Series this time around.
The Dodgers hold a slim lead over the Braves for the No. 2 seed in the NL and remain within striking distance of the Brewers for the best record in baseball. But because of last month’s poor showing, L.A. does not hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over either the Braves or Brewers.
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