The 2022 Major League Baseball season has seen much success with the 2022 National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and is poised to make a postseason gauntlet run heading into the postseason.
In the 26-week regular season thus far, the Dodgers have proven themselves to be the baseball team to beat. They’re especially regarded for having one of the more lucrative, agile, and — for lack of better words — insanely talented 40-man roster in the league. Name drop talents such as Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Justin Turner, and Trea Turner to fully realized superstar talents such as Tony Gonsolin, Julio Urias, and Brusdar Graterol are at the heart of this season’s roster. Indeed, the Dodgers’ 40-man roster encompasses nearly all categories — starting rotation earned-run-average (ERA), offensive statistics, defensive capabilities, bullpen ERA, win/loss ratio in the regular season, number of players in contention for a National League MVP and Cy Young Award candidacy, etc. With the Dodgers among the top spenders in the league with a $274 million player salary payroll, it’s no surprise that their investments have largely led to a particularly successful ballclub that arguably has made postseason trips their new norm.
As of Sept. 27, the Dodgers have not only tied their franchise record win streak of 106 wins in a single season but are assured to beat their own record with 10 more games in the remainder of the regular season. They now head into the postseason with the honor of having the best regular season record of a 106-47 win/loss ratio in the entire league, as well as having a franchise record three consecutive 106-win seasons in a row. By comparison, in the American League division, the Houston Astros have a 101-56, and the next runner-up team in the National League would be the New York Mets with a 97-57 differential. Additionally, by having the best record in their division, as well as the league, the Dodgers now earn Home Field advantage with every playoff series they play by being able to play more home games with the support of their lively home crowd in Chavez Ravine, a significant morale boost for the Dodgers ballclub, all things considered.
This postseason clinch will also mark a remarkable achievement for the LA ballclub of 10 consecutive postseason appearances in the past 10 years. In those ten postseason appearances, they’ve recorded 10 National League Division Series appearances, 6 National League Championship appearances, three World Series Pennants — appearing in three in the last decade, and one monumental World Series victory in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season, their playoff run in the National League Championship Series was grounded to a halt by the would-be 2021 World Series Champions Atlanta Braves ballclub, which would come as a result of several crucial players getting injured during and before the postseason (Max Muncy, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Joe Kelly, Justin Turner, etc, all of whom contributed significantly to their World Series victory in the year prior), a lack of offensive power with significantly less runs being scored in either by home run or with runners-in-scoring position, and many errors that would plague the ballclub’s 2021 run. This time around, though, the team will not be plagued by crucial players getting inundated with injuries. The Dodgers certainly aren’t an infallible team, they do have weak links in their roster and have shown unusual looks in the pitching department without Walker Buehler, yet overall they’ve been proven to be consistently great throughout the regular season as well as being a team with a history of that special postseason clutch factor in these crucial games.
The postseason expectations for the Dodgers remain high and cautiously optimistic, with most of the team healthy and prepared to play to their full potential for a chance at making it to their fourth World Series in the last 10 years. They’re set to play against tough competition such as the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and the New York Mets, all of whom carry elite talents in their roster to take them over the edge in clutch scenarios offensively, defensively, and on the mound. Of course, the Dodgers carry some of the best of the best in all three of those categories which will be exciting to see get tested.
The MLB postseason kicks off on Oct. 7, 2022.
Phillip Lemus is a Sports Section Intern for Fall 2022. They can be reached at plemus1@uci.edu
