Mookie Betts Acknowledges Shortcomings of Dodgers in Recent Years, Pressure to Win This Season
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the National League West 10 of the last 11 years. They have also eclipsed 100 wins in the last four full seasons.
Suffice it to say they struggle very little when it comes to the regular season. However, their regular season record is not indicative of their postseason success.
They won the World Series during the Covid shortened 2020 season. Before that, they fell short to the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and the Houston Astros in 2017 – even if the latter carries much scrutiny.
Since making the Fall classic, they have yet to return. The Dodgers lost to the Atlanta Braves in six games in the N.L. Championship Series, then lost in four games to the San Diego Padres in the 2022 N.L. Divisional Series, and then, finally, were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in last year’s NLDS series.
If this sticks in the minds of the fans, it certainly follows the players around from year to year. In a media scrum in South Korea, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts talked about needing to be ready when it counts,
“We know we have to show up and be ready to play, especially after the last couple of years and falling short. So it’s really important to enjoy ourselves while we’re here, but we also understand we have work to do.”
Mookie Betts via Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times
The players are human too and need to enjoy themselves when they can. As Betts put it though, the team has a goal and higher expectations than ever before.
The Dodgers’ billion-dollar offseason was not for the regular season. It was to give them the firepower to get to the postseason healthy and make a deep run in the playoffs.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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