By Jonah Drew

After a tumultuous yet exhilarating MLB Season, we can finally crown a champion. The Los Angeles Dodgers are your 2024 World Series Champions. Let’s talk about it.

This has been a long time coming for the Dodgers, say what you want about the legitimacy about the 2020 World Series ring, but there is no denying that ring was no normal ring. The Dodgers have been ridiculously consistent. In fact, you would have to go back to 2012 to find a season in which the Dodgers didn’t make the Postseason. The last time the Dodgers finished under .500 was 2010. They have been the model of consistency. Yet, barring a questionable ring in 2020, they have nothing to show for it. That was until, on a chilly night in the Bronx, when Walker Buehler, a man who has given this franchise everything and more, struck out Alex Verdugo. Winning the Dodgers their 8th World Championship. Now, let’s take a moment to discuss how they got there.

Take it back to last October, the Dodgers were riding a 100 win season and an NL West division title. Earning a bye, they drew a matchup against the ever scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks. This turned out to be a nightmare series, as the Snakes embarrassed the Dodgers, quickly sweeping them in 3 games. Clearly, the taste of defeat was bitter. Owner Mark Walter, GM Andrew Friedman, Manager Dave Roberts, and the rest of the Dodgers main decision makers were out for blood in the off-season. They went on a rampage, signing Shohei Ohtani to the largest contract in MLB history, signing Yoshinobu Yammamoto, signing Teoscar Hernandez, trading for Tyler Glasnow, along with a flurry of smaller, successful, Dodgers like moves. Heading into the 2024 season, the Dodgers had all the makings of a superteam, pairing all the incoming talent with an already stacked nucleus.

Through out the year, the Dodgers and their “superteam” were remarkably consistent. Starting with an opening day 1 in Seoul, South Korea, the Dodgers continued to mow down opponents. Winning 15, 17, and 16 games in April, May, and June respectively, the Dodgers had no real hiccup early on. Their worst month came in the dog days of July, going 11-13, their only month with in which they posted a record below the .500 mark. Subsequently, they followed that slight lull up by dominating through the month of August to the tune of a 19-8 record. Finally, they finished the regular season off strong, ending September with a 16-10 record in the month. The Dodgers were heading into the Postseason off yet another spectacular regular season campaign, winning 98 games and earning yet another NL West division title.

As great as the regular season was for the Dodgers, players and fans alike had seen that movie before. The Dodgers roll through the regular season, winning near 100 games and a division title but when push comes to shove and it’s time to perform under the bright lights of the postseason, they crumble. Worries were only raised once the Dodgers opponent in the NLDS was solidified, the San Diego Padres. Don’t be a victim to revisionist history, the Pads were one of, if not the favorite to win the whole thing. On top of that, the rivalry between these 2 teams has really heated up over the past couple of years. In what was as tight of a series as you can get, the Dodgers narrowly squeaked out a series win over their rival padres. After trailing 2-1 in the series, with their back against the wall, the Dodgers pitching answered the call. They went on to shut out the Padres in both Games 4 and 5. Next, they faced what was seemingly the team of destiny, the New York Mets. The Mets were the best team in baseball for a large majority of the second half, and after a series win over their rival Phillies, the Mets were riding high. However, all the hoopla of Grimace, Halk Tuah, OMG, and whatever other absolutely electric gimmicks were quickly put to bed. The Dodgers were way to much to for my Mets, ending their season in a relatively non-competitive 6 game series.

The Dodgers were really looking like every bit of the superteam that they were billed as heading into the season and who else would they see in the fall classic. Dodgers, Yankees, a story as old as time. Fortunately, the 2024 rendition this historical tale was all Dodger blue. In a back and forth game 1, the Dodgers found themselves in a bases loaded, 2 out situation in the 10th with who else other than Freddie Freeman at the dish. As a suprise to nobody, Freddie delivered in a big way, depositing the ball into the right field seats in Dodger stadium. After taking a 1-0 lead, the Dodgers went on cruise control, winning games 2, 3, and 4 comfortably. After taking a 3-0 lead, the Dodgers seemingly got a bit complacent, leading them to take a game 4 loss. Game 5 will be forever etched into the brains of Dodger fans worldwide. The Dodgers came back from a 5-0 deficit, posting a 5 spot in the 5th inning. After the blowing the game and retaking it again, the Dodgers found themselves in yet another high stakes situation. Up 1, Bottom of the 9th, with former ace and now free agent, Walker Buehler on the hill to attempt to finish it off. Facing the bottom of the Yankee order, Buehler sat down the Bombers in 1-2-3 fashion, striking out former Dodger Alex Verdugo to end complete the ultamite baseball quest, earning the Dodgers their 8th ring.

Sources

Baseball Reference

Statmuse