Dodgers’ Determination Leads To Rare Back-To-Back World Series Berths

The Los Angeles Dodgers are trying to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in a quarter century – win consecutive World Series titles.

The last team to pull off that feat was the New York Yankees, who won three titles in a row from 1998-2000. No franchise has even returned to the World Series since the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, then lost to the Yankees in 2009.

Furthermore, no National League team has won back-to-back World Series titles since the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976.

Dodgers Take Commonsense Approach

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman usually analyzes decisions from every angle. He’ll talk extensively with his baseball operations and analytics departments.

However, Friedman didn’t delve into any deep studies on what it would take to repeat after beating the Yankees in five games in last year’s World Series. What he and his staff did was think things out with a commonsense approach.

And the Dodgers find themselves back in the World Series this year against the Blue Jays. Game 1 is Friday night at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

“I mean, we talked about it a lot this offseason that two potential pitfalls that we felt really good about,” Friedman said. “One was how our guys are wired, and that complacency wasn’t going to be something that would set in, like them being focused on and driven by legacy and doing something that’s so incredibly difficult.

“And the second one is usually, if you’re the last team standing at the end of October, you’ve used a lot of your pitching very aggressively throughout the month to do it. And we didn’t really have that.”

Dodgers Vets Don’t Allow Complacency

The Dodgers have a core group of four veterans who have won league MVP awards and will likely be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown after they retire – left-hander Clayton Kershaw, first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop Mookie Betts, and designated hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani. That quartet is even-keeled and never allowed the Dodgers to become complacent.

As far as pitching, the Dodgers were down to three healthy starters for the World Series last year: Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Walker Buehler. The Dodgers did not re-sign Flaherty and Buehler in free agency, leaving Yamamoto as the only current starter to endure the wear and tear of pitching to the end of October.

Despite Yamamoto being the only holdover, the starting pitcher has been dominant in the postseason, helping the Dodgers win nine of 10 games. Joining Yamamoto in the rotation are left-hander Blake Snell and right-handers Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani, who was limited to designated hitter last season while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Ohtani, Sasaki Boost Pitching Staff

Ohtani has pitched twice in this year’s playoffs and won both times while allowing three runs in 12 innings. He turned in one of the most outstanding performances in baseball history last Friday when the Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers to finish a four-game sweep in the National League Division Series. Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out 10, and added three home runs.

Friedman, like everyone else, marvels at his two-way star.

“I’ve said this a lot. I think he’s underrated,” Friedman said. “I just don’t think the human brain can comprehend what he does and how difficult it is and how elite he is at both, and the passion he has for hitting and the passion he has for pitching. It doesn’t seem like there’s enough passion to go around. But there is with him. And he really cares about being great at everything he does.

“So, nothing surprises me anymore, yet everything still surprises me. He’s just one of a kind.”

The Dodgers’ bullpen got overworked in last year’s postseason, and Friedman made sure to restock his relief corps. However, rookie Roki Sasaki has emerged as the closer in the postseason after spending most of the season on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. The Dodgers signed the Japanese right-hander to great fanfare last winter with the idea he would be a starter.

“The biggest and most important thing was getting him back feeling right,” Friedman said. “Once that happened, then it was, OK, let’s attack the delivery and try to get that back in place. It took a little while, but I think once we saw that click is where it was like, OK this is a very viable option to be a really talented pitcher who can help us get really important outs.”