The Los Angeles Dodgers set several records with a dominant 2019 season, and among them was finishing 21 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for a seventh consecutive National League West title.
That not only set a franchise record for best first-place finish, but also a new NL West record for largest margin of victory. Per STATS LLC, that previously was held by the 1975 Cincinnati Reds who finished 20 games ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West.
The Reds went on to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Championship Series and the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
For the Dodgers, the margin in this season’s final standings bested the 13.5 games they finished up on the Milwaukee Braves in 1955. That Brooklyn club boasted the best record in the Majors and won the franchise’s first World Series by defeating the New York Yankees.
The 2019 Dodgers faced NL West opponents in each of their first three series this season, and got off to an 8-2 start. After some regression left them just one game over .500 through 17 contests, L.A. found their stride and pulled away from the division.
The bulk of their intradivision success came at the expense of the Colorado Rockies, who the Dodgers went 15-4 against this year. They were 13-6 against the San Diego Padres, 12-7 in meetings with the San Francisco Giants, and 11-8 when facing the Diamondbacks.
That propelled the Dodgers to becoming the fastest team in L.A. franchise history to clinch the division by both date and games played. They did so in the 146th game of the season, which bested the 1977 club that wrapped up the division in Game 151.
The 2013 Dodgers memorably clinched the NL West at Chase Field on Sept. 19, which before this season held as the earliest date during the current seven-year reign. The consecutive trips to the postseason are another franchise record.
Only the Houston Astros (56-20) had a better intradivision record in 2019. They also finished ahead of the Dodgers in the MLB standings and with a superior home record.
Nevertheless, the Dodgers set a franchise record with 106 wins and a Dodger Stadium record by winning 59 home games. Now they look to make a rare third consecutive appearance in the World Series.
Their postseason run begins Thursday against the NL Wild Card Game winner — Milwaukee Brewers or Washington Nationals.
