The [Los Angeles Dodgers](https://www.mlb.com/dodgers) not only failed to meet high expectations during the regular season, but for much of it, they were basically mediocre. They started with a 23-10 record and finished, after a timely meeting with their manager, with 15 wins in 20 games. However, between May 4 and September 7, the Dodgers had a 56-54 record, just two games above .500 in a sample of 110 games. Their rotation suffered, their bullpen was a disaster, their lineup was inconsistent, and, until the end, they showed few signs of a team prepared to defend the championship.Now they are an unstoppable machine.The Dodgers have been on a tear this postseason, winning seven of eight games and with a 4-0 road record. They swept the [Cincinnati Reds](https://www.mlb.com/reds) in the wild card round, outscoring them 18-9, and then faced the [Philadelphia Phillies](https://www.mlb.com/phillies), a team widely considered the most talented in this playoff field, and dispatched them in four games. Since then, they have taken control of the National League Championship Series with consecutive road wins over the [Milwaukee Brewers](https://www.mlb.com/brewers), the number 1 seeded team.Unless unforeseen circumstances arise – teams that have won the first two away games in a best-of-seven format have prevailed in that series 25 out of 28 times – the Dodgers will become the first club since the 2009 Phillies to return to the World Series a year after winning it. Six more victories and the Dodgers will become baseball’s first repeat champions in a quarter of a century. Nothing is guaranteed, but that they are even in this position is remarkable, considering recent circumstances, even with Shohei Ohtani in an offensive slump.The Dodgers were on pace for 91 wins as they approached the final week of the regular season. If that had been the case and they hadn’t finished with a five-game winning streak, they would have tied the lowest full-season win total since Andrew Friedman took over baseball operations at the end of the 2014 season. In other words, the team that many believed could challenge the wins record was arguing to be the worst of the franchise in a decade. Friedman acknowledged that reality then, but countered by expressing his belief that this could be the best roster he has ever taken to October.That has been confirmed, and there are four main reasons for this.
Starting pitching has been dominant
The Dodgers’ rotation has not only been dominant, but it has been historic. Their postseason ERA is just 1.54, on its way to being the second-lowest of all time among teams that played at least eight playoff games. Only the [1983 Baltimore Orioles](https://www.mlb.com/orioles) recorded a lower mark.In other words, the Dodgers’ quartet of Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow has been better – at least so far – than the 1996 [Atlanta Braves](https://www.mlb.com/braves) of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. Better than a pitching staff of the 1912 New York Giants, led by Christy Mathewson, who pitched in the dead-ball era. Better than a 2001 [Arizona Diamondbacks](https://www.mlb.com/dbacks) team that rode the dominance of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling to a title. Even better than the 1981 Dodgers’ rotation with Fernando Valenzuela, Jerry Reuss, and Burt Hooton.That 1981 Dodgers team set a franchise record with 11 starts from starters who pitched at least six innings and allowed no more than three runs en route to the championship. The 2025 Dodgers, despite existing in an era of heavy bullpen usage, have already received seven such starts. The only time that wasn’t the case was in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, when Yamamoto’s outing was cut short by a lengthy fourth inning. Six days later, he went to Milwaukee – the place where he couldn’t escape the first inning on July 7 – and threw the first postseason complete game in eight years.Any complaints about the Dodgers’ spending, and the perceived imbalance it has caused, begin with the rotation. During a 10-day period in December 2023, they signed Ohtani to an unprecedented contract (700 million dollars guaranteed, with 680 million deferred), acquired and extended Glasnow (for more than 130 million dollars over five years) and lavished Yamamoto with the largest deal ever given to a starter (12 years, 325 million dollars). Then, they won the World Series with an improvised rotation, focused on Snell and signed him to a five-year, 182 million dollar contract less than 12 months later.The Dodgers, who later attracted Roki Sasaki from Japan and brought Clayton Kershaw back for one more season, began the year with the idea of having one of the best starting pitching staffs in baseball history. But Sasaki struggled, Ohtani’s pitching progression developed methodically as he returned from a second elbow repair, and Glasnow and Snell missed a lot of time with shoulder injuries. It wasn’t until late August that the strength of the Dodgers’ rotation really revealed itself, and it did so emphatically.Dodgers’ starters posted a 2.07 ERA in the final month of the regular season, by far the lowest in the majors, and have somehow reached another level since then. Snell has limited the Reds, Phillies and Brewers to two runs on six hits in 21 innings. Yamamoto – four earned runs on 13 hits in 19⅔ innings – has been nearly as dominant behind him. Glasnow, the Game 3 starter, blanked the Phillies for six innings in Los Angeles. Ohtani, the Game 4 starter, allowed three runs on six innings against them in Philadelphia.The four have combined to limit Elly De La Cruz, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Christian Yelich, Brice Turang, and William Contreras to six hits in 59 at-bats, with 23 strikeouts.I don’t know if enough words can be written in their stories about our starters,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. “It’s really been incredible. They seem to feed off each other.
Freddie Freeman
“It’s just incredible,” said Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy. “We said before this postseason started: our starting pitching was going to carry us. And so far, it’s been exactly that.”
Max Muncy
Sasaki went from a disappointing opener to a brilliant closer
There may not have been a more important development this Dodgers season than what took place at their Arizona complex in early September, when Rob Hill, their pitching director, and Ian Walsh, their pitching performance coordinator, got Sasaki to flex his back leg to prevent his pelvis from tilting forward and thus revive the life of his fastball.As the regular season drew to a close and the title defense approached, the Dodgers found themselves with few answers at the end of games. Tanner Scott, the free agent splurge who was supposed to anchor the back end of their bullpen, had been a bust in his first season in Los Angeles. Kirby Yates, another offseason acquisition, wasn’t much better. Names like Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, and Evan Phillips, catalysts in their bullpen-driven run last fall, were bad, inconsistent, or injured. By the end of the regular season, the Dodgers’ relievers had combined for a 4.27 ERA and 27 blown saves.So, Sasaki closed out the wild-card round by overwhelming the Reds with a triple-digit fastball and a gravity-defying splitter, capturing the imagination of a team that had despaired in its search for a solution in the ninth inning. That he would do it two more times in Philadelphia, recording the final out in consecutive road victories to begin the National League Division Series, then pitch three perfect innings in the Dodgers’ decisive victory over the Phillies in Game 4, only served to solidify a crucial point:The Dodgers’ most obvious weakness had suddenly become one of their greatest strengths, all due to an unlikely turn.The industry widely anticipated growth problems when Sasaki transitioned to the United States, but they were more amplified than expected. He struggled in his first eight starts in the Major Leagues, then spent four months on the injured list with a shoulder injury, went to Triple-A, and was throwing his fastball in the low 90s. Hill and Walsh identified a significant signal, but coach Travis Smith worked diligently to help Sasaki add strength to his slender frame, and Sasaki himself completely embraced a high-pressure relief role, exhibiting a composure that has inspired confidence in those around him. Now, much seems to depend on Sasaki’s success.If he remains dominant, the Dodgers look unbeatable. If he falters, their late-game model collapses. Outside of Emmet Sheehan, another young starter still adjusting to a bullpen role, Alex Vesia, who has been used heavily this season, and Treinen, who has been inconsistent, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t seem to trust anyone else to hold leads late. His hope is that Sasaki’s shaky ninth inning in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series – when he issued two walks, a double, and a sacrifice fly before being pulled – was more of an anomaly than the start of a worrying trend.Sasaki was pitching four days after his nine-out, 36-pitch relief appearance, and the velocity of his fastball was slightly lower.The Dodgers certainly noticed it.“Since he came back, since he entered from the bullpen, he’s honestly one of the best pitchers I’ve seen,” Glasnow said. “His stuff is incredible. He’s focused around the strike zone. For him to start the season the way he did and then come back now, it’s one of the craziest things I’ve seen.
Tyler Glasnow
“We’re still in a kind of uncharted territory with him,” Roberts said. “We’re still gathering information, and he’s certainly doing everything he can to stay ready and be ready and be productive. But it’s something that’s certainly on our radar.
Dave Roberts
Mookie Betts learned to be a shortstop and fixed his swing
Betts dedicated himself to the task of becoming a Major League shortstop during the offseason, taking ground balls daily, traveling to high school and college fields throughout Southern California, seeking the opinion of infield coach Chris Woodward, his close friend Ryan Goins, and even former All-Star Troy Tulowitzki, but whether he would be able to hold his own in one of the most demanding positions in the sport remained an open question when the games started to matter again. Even for him.Seven months later, Betts has not only completed a whole season at shortstop, a transition that, as a former right fielder in his 30s, was unprecedented; he has somehow become an asset at the position. Betts contributed five outs above average during the regular season, tied with players like Geraldo Perdomo, Willy Adames, and Francisco Lindor. His 17 defensive runs saved tied Taylor Walls for the major league lead at the position. On Wednesday, he was announced as one of the three Gold Glove finalists.But what really ignited the Dodgers was Betts returning to who he has always been offensively.Betts began the season with an illness that caused him to lose nearly 20 pounds and navigated the worst four-month stretch of his career, batting .240/.313/.369 at the end of July. Then his season took a drastic turn. In August and September, Betts batted .294/.351/.478, once again serving as a catalyst between Ohtani and Freeman. In two wild-card games, he accumulated six hits in nine at-bats. Betts needed time not only to regain his weight and strength, but to maintain it while navigating the rigors of a season.“I just didn’t know,” Betts said.
Mookie Betts
Her mindset also helped.On August 8, Betts broke a 23-game homerless streak and then made a statement. “My season is over,” he said. It started with the debilitating stomach virus, but also included a broken finger and the death of his stepfather. He admitted to spiraling at times. In his mind, the numbers wouldn’t save themselves. Accepting that allowed him to focus on the team’s at-bats first and not get bogged down by his stat line. It was liberating.I finally got all that back and was able to fix a couple of mechanics and really didn’t have to try to add more power,” Betts said. “I could just swing and let it do its thing.
Mookie Betts
Betts has made all the defensive plays this postseason, including a handful of difficult plays to his left. Playing shortstop now, he said, feels like playing in right field, where he accumulated six Gold Gloves. He no longer has to think about it. And although his bat has slowed down in these last two rounds – he was 4 for 24 against the Phillies and Brewers – the Dodgers can be sure that it has more to do with the difficulty of hitting at this stage than with Betts’ own difficulties.I think he resolved to let it go, play for the present and the future and play to help the team win,” Roberts said, who shares a close relationship with Betts. “I think that took a lot of pressure off him.
Dave Roberts
Execute When Importing
Champagne and beer flowed inside a covered batting cage after the Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series on October 9, the third such celebration in a span of two weeks, and Enrique Hernández was asked to reveal the secret behind the Dodgers’ success.“Talent on paper is one thing, but in reality, that’s not what wins games,” Hernández said in Spanish. “What wins games is what happens within the lines. We have created an incredible culture here where we play baseball the right way. We play winning baseball. There are many teams across the league that are super talented, but they don’t play the right way. They don’t do the little things.”Hernández didn’t point to any team. But he could have been talking about the New York Yankees, who squandered a championship with a comedy of errors in the fifth inning of Game 5 of last year’s World Series, including a caught fly ball, a wild pitch, and a poorly timed miscommunication. He could have been talking about the Phillies, whose 2025 season ended when one of their relievers, Orion Kerkering, threw a wild pitch from home in a moment of pressure. In reality, however, he was talking about the Dodgers, who have been through so many of these games together that they seem more adept at navigating pressure and noise than most.It was never more evident than in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series, when the Dodgers stopped a furious comeback by the Phillies by perfectly executing the wheel play on a sacrifice bunt to get the lead runner to third base, leading to their second of four consecutive road wins in these playoffs.“The talent we have,” said Hernandez, stating the obvious, but he added a caveat.
Enrique Hernandez
Many of our guys have been through things, and we don’t panic,” Roberts said. “We somehow stay the course.
Dave RobertsTheir offense may falter, their pitchers may struggle, even their defense may fail. But the Dodgers have seemingly become masters at navigating the calamity that October tends to present. Hernández, with a postseason OPS 178 points higher than his regular season, is an excellent example. Others – Snell, Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernández – have demonstrated a special ability to elevate their games in the playoffs. Overall, however, a Dodgers team that was long defined by postseason failures has, in recent years, earned a reputation for doing the exact opposite.It doesn’t matter if their rotation is in tatters, or their bullpen is a disaster, or their first base is limping, or their best player is in the midst of a prolonged slump, they find a way.“Two years ago we went through the worst, last year we went through the best,” said Enrique Hernández, referring to a 2023 team that was eliminated in the National League Division Series for the second consecutive year. “When you go through the worst and the best, you learn a lot from each other. You learn to care more and more about each other as teammates, as a team. We are a team that… we are going to figure out how to win a baseball game.
Enrique Hernández
