The two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers have once again punched their ticket to the postseason, joining the Brewers on the National League side of the bracket. They clinched a berth by virtue of a victory over the Reds Monday night, 4-1. It marked their 91st win of the season.
The Dodgers came into the season as the favorites to win the World Series (and they still are). They have the top payroll in baseball. They have three different former MVP winners and we'll get to the pitching staff in a second.
They have now made the playoffs for 14 straight seasons, tying the Braves' all-time record (1991-2005). When the Dodgers clinch the NL West, it'll be their 13th title in the last 14 years. The one time they didn't win the NL West in that span was 2021, when they won 106 games and then beat the 107-win Giants in the playoffs.
In this run, they've won five NL pennants and three World Series. There might be some debate as to whether these Dodgers are a dynasty with back-to-back titles and three in six years, but a World Series title this season would 100% cement them as a dynasty with a threepeat and four rings in seven years. No team has pulled off a threepeat since the 1998-2000 Yankees and only three other groups in history have pulled it off (two other Yankees dynasties and the 1972-74 Athletics).
The Dodgers still have a shot at a first-round bye, though they might not be the No. 1 seed. They won the World Series from the No. 1 overall seed in 2024 and took the crown in 2025 as the three seed in the NL and having to play in the Wild Card Series. They've also been swept in the NLDS as the one seed.
Other than "they are loaded," here's why the Dodgers can threepeat: The rotation in 2024 wasn't in great shape, but last season, the Dodgers lined everything up with four frontline starting pitchers and rode them to the title: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani. Injuries have complicated matters at different points this season, but a midseason trade for a two-time Cy Young winner and recent returns have set them up again. No, Ohtani likely won't be part of the group as it looks like he won't pitch again this season.
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