Look back at the Dodgers' best wins of 2019

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers won 106 games in the regular season this year, overwhelming opponents with a slugging offense, a deep starting rotation and a deep and versatile roster and farm system.

Here are the club’s top five wins in 2019 and what those victories could mean going forward.

1) June 21: Dodgers 4, Rockies 2
Walker Buehler strikes out 16

In a Dodgers walk-off win over Colorado, Walker Buehler fired his first complete game and fanned 16 en route to his first 200-strikeout season. According to STATS, Buehler is the only pitcher in Dodgers history with more than 15 strikeouts and no walks in a game since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893. It was one of five games by Buehler with double-digit strikeouts and no walks, the most in the National League and only second to Justin Verlander (six) and Gerrit Cole (seven) in the Majors.

What does it tell us about 2020?
This game underscored Buehler’s potential to dominate, which is why he started Games 1 and 5 in the National League Division Series and why he has assumed the role of ace on a staff with three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw.

2) April 21: Dodgers 6, Brewers 5
Belli beats Yeli with glove, bat

Joc Pederson’s two-homer birthday took a back seat to another brilliant display of talent from Cody Bellinger, who robbed 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich of an eighth-inning homer with his glove, then slugged a game-winning blast off Josh Hader in the ninth for a wild win. The friendly Belli vs. Yeli competition sparked a commercial and, very likely, a rivalry for years to come.

What does it tell us about 2020?
No surprise here with Bellinger and Yelich finishing first and second for the league’s MVP, but this game was a reminder that Bellinger has five tools and knows how to use all of them.

3) June 9: Dodgers 1, Giants 0
'Go get it out of the ocean.'

Max Muncy homered off Madison Bumgarner, reason enough for Muncy to be a fan favorite. But the ensuing exchange is already legendary. Bumgarner yelled at Muncy for watching it, prompting Muncy’s epic response -- “If you don’t like me watching the ball, you can go get it out of the ocean.” T-shirts couldn’t be silk-screened fast enough.

What does it tell us about 2020?
In both performance and attitude, Muncy showed the baseball world that his 2019 breakthrough season was no fluke. He’s now a proven slugger, and he stepped up his defensive game by showing that he can handle second base as well as the infield corners.

4) June 23: Dodgers 6, Rockies 3
Smith completes historic Rookies Walk-off Weekend

On the day he was recalled, Will Smith became the third Dodgers rookie to slug a walk-off homer in as many games, joining Matt Beaty and Alex Verdugo. Smith homered off Scott Oberg to complete a 9-2 homestand and raise the club’s record to 54-25, the best start in Los Angeles history.

What does it tell us about 2020?
It tells us that the Dodgers’ farm system continues to develop potential stars. Smith and Verdugo were high Draft picks fulfilling their potential, as both figure to be starters next year. Beaty might lack the pedigree of the others, but he wasn’t overmatched, not even in the postseason.

5) March 28: Dodgers 12, D-backs 5
Dodgers set Opening Day record with eight homers

In a win over Arizona, the Dodgers set an MLB Opening Day record with eight home runs, which also tied a franchise record for homers in a game (May 22, 2002, at Milwaukee). Joc Pederson and Kiké Hernández became the first pair of Dodgers teammates to have multi-homer games on Opening Day. The duo became just the fourth and fifth Dodgers to hit two homers on Opening Day in club history, joining Roy Campanella (1954), Raul Mondesi (1995, '99) and Yasmani Grandal (2017).

What does it tell us about 2020?
The Dodgers live and die by the home run, and they hit enough to win 106 regular-season games in 2019, so assume that will also be the game plan in 2020, especially with the potential of added power from Will Smith at catcher and Gavin Lux at second base.