The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the brink of reaching the World Series for the first time in 29 years after defeating the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday night.
Through four games, the Dodgers have outscored the Cubs, 17-7, behind seven home runs while receiving contributions from different players throughout the lineup. More impressively, the Dodgers have overcome early deficits in each of their three wins.
The Cubs struck first in those contests, but Los Angeles, like so often during the regular season, rallied and carried their momentum to unprecedented wins.
Prior to Tuesday’s victory, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo listed three reasons why the Cubs can come back in the NLCS, citing Chicago’s bullpen, their offense regressing back to normal and future pitching matchups skewing in the defending World Series champions’ favor.
In postseason history, there have been 36 instances of a team trailing 3-0 in a series. Only one of those clubs strung off four wins to take the series — the 2004 Boston Red Sox.
They pulled off one of the greatest comebacks ever against the New York Yankees to not only advance to but win the World Series. They were buoyed by Dave Roberts’ stolen base off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, which unbeknownst to Yu Darvish was pulled off by his manager.
Prior to the Cubs, the most recent team to face a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series was the Toronto Blue Jays against the Cleveland Indians in last year’s ALCS.
The New York Mets were in the same spot as the Dodgers just two seasons ago and went on to sweep the Cubs in the NLCS to reach their first World Series since 1986.
In 2014, the Kansas City Royals held a 3-0 lead against the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS and proceeded to sweep them — going on to reach their first World Series in 29 years.
Last season, the Cubs found themselves trailing 3-1 to the Cleveland Indians in the Fall Classic. Chicago overcame the deficit to win their first championship in 108 years — this after overcoming a 2-1 deficit to the Dodgers in the NLCS.
In total, 29 teams have been swept after falling into a 3-0 series hole, four lost in five games, two lost in six games, and only the aforementioned Red Sox completed a stunning comeback.
While the Cubs have shown just a year ago that they can prevail and win a postseason series after trailing, the odds suggest differently this time around.
The Dodgers are a much improved team this season, and it starts with the bullpen.
In 14 innings during the NLCS, the Los Angeles bullpen has held Chicago’s bats to three hits and five baserunners overall without allowing a run; striking out 17 batters compared to one walk.
With Kenley Jansen solidifying himself as the best reliever in baseball, the Dodgers have additionally received elite production from setup man Brandon Morrow, who wasn’t with the club last season.
Midseason acquisitions Tony Cingrani and Tony Watson have thrived out of the bullpen as well, not to mention Kenta Maeda has also succeeded in a relief role during the postseason.
On the contrary, the Cubs’ bullpen has disappointed to say the least. In 13.1 innings, Chicago’s relief corps has allowed eight runs — good for a 5.40 ERA.
Unlike last year, the Dodgers have a revitalized Yasiel Puig in their lineup, in addition to breakout star Chris Taylor and NL Rookie of the Year favorite Cody Bellinger.
The offense also features holdover Justin Turner, who’s leading the way with historic postseason numbers, and a plethora of depth making up for the absence of Corey Seager, including Austin Barnes, Andre Ethier and Kiké Hernandez.
On the flip side, the Cubs have scored a meager four runs in three games and have struggled vastly against the Dodgers’ bullpen. The club got off to an 0-for-29 skid against Los Angeles relievers — the worst stretch in postseason history.
Even if the Cubs staying alive by winning Game 4 on, the Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Yu Darvish looming on normal rest for the final three games of the series. The Cubs’ rotation isn’t as well-rested as Los Angeles, and that’s been evident in the early going.
What’s more, the Dodgers have home-field advantage on their side unlike last season. They are 4-0 at Dodger Stadium during the postseason and won a franchise-best 57 games there during the regular season.
The Cubs certainly face an uphill climb to even up the NLCS, but given the imbalance between both clubs, a celebration for the Dodgers at Wrigley Field seems like a mere formality at this point.
