Dodgers Tie Franchise Record For Wins
The Dodgers got their 105th win of the season after defeating the San Francisco Giants 2-0 on Saturday, tying their franchise record for wins in a season that was set when they were still in Brooklyn in 1953.
The @Dodgers' 105 wins this year are the most since the franchise relocated to Los Angeles in 1958.
It's also tied for most in team history (1953). pic.twitter.com/9HFhmErEnD
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) September 28, 2019
It is the culmination of a long year for the Dodgers as they have been in headlines almost since their loss in the 2018 World Series. After they traded fan favorites Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp, many believed they would go all-in on Bryce Harper.
That didn’t happen.
Then it was all about Manny Machado and JT Realmuto, neither of those happened either. The Dodgers did make a big move by signing Joe Kelly, the relief pitcher that dominated them in the World Series just a few months prior.
Kelly’s Dodgers tenure got off to the worst possible start one could imagine, posting a horrid 8.82 ERA in the month of May and was booed relentlessly by Dodger fans. He quickly turned things around and became a key part of the bullpen, especially as Kenley Jansen started declining more and more as well.
Then you have Cody Bellinger, who at 47 home runs is currently two home runs shy of tying Shawn Green’s franchise record for home runs set in 2001. He has been in a heated National League MVP race all season long with Christian Yelich, who went down with a broken kneecap earlier in September. Even with Yelich being out, Bellinger’s path to MVP isn’t any clearer with the emergence of Pete Alonso.
The rookies have undoubtedly been a major part of the Dodgers’ success this season, remember that one series against Colorado where Matt Beaty, Alex Verdugo, and Will Smith had three consecutive walk-off home runs?
For as much credit as the Dodgers deserve for responding well to the pressure of this season, let’s not forget that their work isn’t finished. The World Series isn’t a guarantee, and a third straight loss in the fall classic would put them in the Buffalo Bills-level category of tragedy. The Dodgers are a great team, but it don’t mean a thing without the ring.
Saying it doesn’t mean a thing without a ring is kiddie stuff. The Dodgers put a quality product on the field every day, year after year. It matters, and nothing that happens in October detracts from that consistency. If you think a ring every now and then is all that matters, go root for the woeful Kansas City Royals.