Having put together a season that saw multiple National League and franchise records set, the Los Angeles Dodgers now look to buck MLB history and capture an elusive World Series title. Their quest to do so begins Thursday with Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
The Dodgers are vying to become the first NL team to reach the World Series three straight seasons since the St. Louis Cardinals did so from 1942-44. Only three teams in MLB history returned to the Fall Classic after consecutive defeats.
The list includes the 1909 Detroit Tigers, 1913 New York Giants and the 1923 New York Yankees. Only the Yankees managed to win the World Series on their third trip.
Overall in franchise history, the Dodgers have reached the World Series in consecutive years just three times. They lost to the Yankees in six games in both 1977 and 1978, fell to the Yankees again in 1952 and 1953, and suffered recent defeats to the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox.
While a reign over the NL West titles to the tune of seven straight division titles is a stretch previously unforeseen in Dodgers history, it’s fueled some angst within the fanbase as the championship drought lingers on.
A ‘World Series or bust’ narrative began to creep in last season and hangs over this year’s club as they head into the postseason. However, it’s a perception Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was cautious to subscribe to.
“That’s a tough one. Right now, where we’re at, what we’ve accomplished, we have a chance to be the best team in Dodgers history,” Roberts said after an NLDS workout at Dodger Stadium. “The wins we accumulated this year, it means something. It means a lot.
“It takes a lot of people to get where we’re at right now and the ultimate goal is to win 11 games in October. To look at it as a failure, it certainly would be very disappointing. I just think it’s tough.
“Not taking it lightly in the sense that we don’t expect anything less than a championship. That goes without saying. But to take away, to say what everyone in this organization did from scouts to player development to staff to players to coaches, if ultimately we’re not the last team standing, to say it was a failed season, I think that takes away from a lot of hard work people did.
“But our only goal is to win a championship. The fans deserve it, the players deserve it, and we are equipped to accomplish that goal.”
