NEW YORK – “Those who don’t learn from history tend to repeat it.”
For the Los Angeles Dodgers, that promise has come true since the last time they won the World Series in 2020. Their roster has never been short of talent; in fact, they have continued to add in recent years. But while LA has been one of the most talented MLB teams on paper for some time, something has been missing. The Dodgers often lacked a certain grit or grit to push them over the top.
Time and time again this season and the postseason, however, the 2024 Dodgers have shown they are not the same team. They are stronger, tougher, better, that’s why they are now the world series champions.
“It’s just a special group of guys,” Dodgers first baseman and World Series MVP Freddie Freeman – said the team after winning the title 7-6 win in Game 5 on Wednesday.
There was momentum in New York they won a Game 4 loss. After the Bronx Bombers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning Wednesday, it looked like the Dodgers were headed back to Los Angeles for Game 6. No team has ever gone up 3-0 in the World Series and then been pushed back. Game 6, so the Dodgers were facing some bad history and a lot of pressure. With LA’s offense against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and starter Jack Flaherty needing 23 hits after going just 1⅓ innings on the night after the designated bullpen, the battle on the mound was fierce.
But it wasn’t the first time in October that the Dodgers had their backs against the wall and the momentum wasn’t on their side. They were battle tested and ready for this moment.
Facing elimination in the NLDS against the Padres in a hostile environment at Petco Park, the Dodgers needed a similar solution. When no one thought they had enough to contend with, they didn’t just force a win or 5 games home. and overcome it Advance to the NLCS.
When the Dodgers needed to be resilient in Game 5 of the World Series, they were once again able to use their toughness. LA’s offense woke up in the fifth inning, thanks in large part to the Yankees’ horrendous defense to load the bases. The Dodgers cut the deficit to 5-3 with back-to-back RBI singles by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Teoscar Hernandez then delivered a huge blow, hitting a two-run double into the gap in left field to score Betts and Freeman to tie the game at 5.
“Derritt threw the ball great,” Freeman said. “He’s still throwing the ball great. When Mookie comes and hits the squibber and manages to beat him, you just feel the thrill. … I got one right there and I broke it and saw the next pitch and thankfully hit the ball up the middle. Then credit Teo. Against Gerrit Cole, it’s very difficult for a right-handed opponent to get in the gap like he does.
“When you get extra points and you come up in a game like that, it’s huge. For us to tie it, you can just feel the momentum coming.”
Within minutes, the momentum that seemed to have left the Dodgers was back on their side. They made it to the eighth when they scored not once, but twice, to take their first lead of the game against the Yankees, who own the Dodgers in Game 4 and have almost been unbeatable throughout the postseason, Luke Weaver.
What made the Dodgers the best team in baseball on their way to their second World Series title in five years this year wasn’t just that they had more talent (although they did). For many years, the team with the best record in baseball does not win the World Series; previously only twice on June 10.
No, it was the Dodgers who had a harder time than the other 29 teams. From the beginning of the season, it seemed that nothing could stop them from their ultimate goal. Every obstacle, worry, discomfort and injury, they faced it. At many points, LA could be undone, but this team is undeniable in its quest for greatness.
He was hit with a bomb when the team opened the season in South Korea against the Padres. Award-winning free agent acquisition Shohei Ohtani has been caught up in a federal investigation into gambling by his former translator, Ippei Mizuhara. Thanks to media attention, speculation and an FBI investigation, Oktani and the Dodgers never missed a beat. The Dodgers had $700 million one of the best seasons in baseball history and would win the NL MVP a few weeks later.
“We were able to get through the regular season, I think because of the strength of this team, this organization,” Oktani said after the Dodgers’ Game 5 victory. “The success of the postseason is very similar to how we were able to overcome it in the regular season.”
“When you start rooting for a teammate in his first year, like we did, for him to go out there and have his greatest season, I think it’s pretty special of all time,” Freeman said.
“(Winning the World Series) took a little longer than I expected and hopefully I can do it every year.”
Shohei Ohtani shares his emotions after winning his first World Series championship. pic.twitter.com/3HKQpGLjYj
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 31, 2024
Then there were the injuries that plagued the Dodgers from the beginning of the season until the end of the World Series. Losing a player the caliber of Mookie Betts for two months would be enough to knock the best teams out of the game. Now try adding a full rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Tyler Glasnow and River Ryan to the injured list. No matter, the Dodgers finished the regular season with 98 wins.
“We’ve been through a lot, but I’d say we had the best record in baseball this year,” Roberts said. “It wasn’t easy, but our guys fought the right way every day and played to win.”
“We’ve had a lot of things going on this year, and that’s certainly what made it difficult,” Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said. “But I think it’s been very beneficial for our scouts, our player development staff, our major league coaching staff for the number of guys that have come in and contributed and played a big role right now.
“It’s difficult. It’s hard to get to that level. It’s hard to deal with things that can go on all season.”
Cut to October, and Freeman’s sprained right ankle limited him for the first two rounds, the short-handed pitching did his best to turn things around, and the bullpen ran on fumes. Yet he was there when the Dodgers needed him all. The team even had some surprises this season, like Walker Buehler, who pitched 5 innings in Game 3 and shutout Game 5 to record his first career save after coming back from injury. It could be his last appearance as a Dodger and making an impression on LA that will last a lifetime.
Now the Dodgers is back on top of the baseball world. That’s a stark contrast to a year ago, when they were embarrassed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in sweeping the NLDS. Unlike that team, this Dodgers group believed that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts, even with many expensive parts. All 26 players, coaches, managers and front office believed they could not be beaten.
“One thing, we just kept going,” Roberts said. “I don’t think anyone picked us even in the postseason. I don’t think they picked us to leave the first series. “It’s a credit to our guys to come out and fight, scratch, claw and win 11 games in October.”