Dodgers out to end 32-year drought
L.A . begins quest for 1st World Series crown since 1988
Best record in the majors. Best mark at home in the National League. Most home runs in the majors. Best bullpen ERA in the NL. The Los Angeles Dodgers have checked nearly every box on the way to their eighth straight postseason appearance.
Now if they could just do something about that 32-year drought in winning a championship.
“It’s World Series or bust every year,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.
With Mookie Betts in the fold, the Dodgers are poised for a new challenge in the postseason, starting with Game 1 Wednesday in their best-of-three playoff series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Dodgers rolled through the shortened 60-game season with a 43-17 mark (21-9 at home) and slugged 118 homers.
Betts was as good as advertised in his first season in Los Angeles, hitting 16 homers at the top of the order. He led the team in stolen bases with 10.
“With Mookie at the top kind of setting that tone, it just has that trickle-down effect,” third baseman Justin Turner said. “Our entire order takes pride in grinding out at-bats and making guys work. We have a lot of guys that can hurt you with one swing.”
The eighth-seeded Brewers take on the Dodgers in the wild-card round, having advanced to their third straight postseason appearance for the first time in franchise history.
Milwaukee reached the 2018 NLCS, losing to the Dodgers in seven. It’s the only other time the teams have met in the playoffs.
The Dodgers lost backto-back World Series appearances in 2017 and 2018; they were eliminated in five games by Washington in last year’s NL Division Series.
The Brewers never got above .500 all season and finished with a losing mark of 29-31, getting into the postseason thanks to holding a tiebreaker over the San Francisco Giants.
The Dodgers will start right-hander Walker Buehler in Game 1. He has battled a blister that sent him to the injured list twice in the past month.
The shortened season has been a rough go for some big hitters. Reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers is hitting .239. Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich is batting .205.
Astros: First baseman Yuli Gurriel agreed to take a nearly 20 percentpay cut to remain with Houston, getting a one-year deal with an option for 2022 that guarantees $7 million.
Twins: Third baseman Josh Donaldson will miss the series against Houston because of a calf injury, and the team added rookie Alex Kirilloff to the roster.
Minors: Major League Baseball started the process of contracting minor league affiliates, with the Appalachian League converted to a college summer circuit for rising freshmen and sophomores. Many teams from the Pioneer League and the New York-penn League also are likely to become part of college summer leagues.
Replays: Video reviews overturned 42.4 percent of calls checked during the regular season, down slightly from 44 percent in 2019.