Written By: Jose Rohdin
The Los Angeles Dodgers have finally won the World Series ring that has eluded them since 1988, and it took a weird season for it to become official.
When the Coronavirus pandemic hit during the start of spring training for the 2020 season, it, of course, put a halt to any games being played. Eventually, they figured out a compromise to play a 60 game season while also adding three new teams to each conference playoffs. This led to one of the most exciting regular seasons and playoffs in a long time.
The Dodgers traded for Mookie Betts from the Red Sox in the 2019 off-season, right before spring training opened for the 2020 season. Betts, who is one of the best players in baseball, added to another stacked lineup. The team was built to finally win the World Series after losing the team that won it all in four straight seasons, all the way back to losing to the Cubs in the 2016 National League Championship Series.
Even in a shortened season, the Dodgers still pulled off the best record in baseball, going 43-17, solidifying them as the favorites. Betts, along with Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger, were the offense’s driving force, with other solid bats around them, such as AJ Pollock, Christ Taylor, Max Muncy, and Justin Turner. The pitching staff was led by Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and closer Kenley Janson, but the team found solid pitching from youngsters Julio Urías and Dustin May.
The Dodgers swept through the wild card and divisional rounds, making easy work of the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Diego Padres. However, the Atlanta Braves were a team on a mission and put up big numbers on the Dodgers pitching staff, which gave the Braves a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series.
The Dodgers came back to force a game 7, which was one of the season’s best games. It was capped off by a Bellinger home run blasted into right field in the bottom of the 7th that would end up being the winning run. Urías pitched the final three innings, not allowing a signal baserunner, sending the Dodgers to the World Series for the third time in four seasons.
In the World Series, they faced the Tampa Bay Rays, who had the best record in the American League with a 40-20 record. The Dodgers only lost two games to the Rays, one of which they fell behind in early, and the other on a walk-off home run. For the rest of the games other than the deciding Game 6, the Dodgers got on the board early and kept the lead. Betts was the star of Game 6, hitting the game-sealing home run in the bottom of the 8th.
The Dodgers were finally World Series Champs.
The World Series MVP landed in the hands of Corey Seager, who led the Dodgers in batting average, home runs, runs batted in, and runs for the entire playoffs.
With next season’s Dodgers team expected to be similar to this World Series team, I would not bet against them to make the World Series again.