Franchise Timeline
2020 - To borrow from manager Dave Roberts, this was the Dodgers’ year. They ended the franchise’s 32-year World Championship drought with a remarkable season, overcoming the pandemic to post the best regular-season record (43-17) and an eighth consecutive division title, then rolling through an extended postseason over the Padres, Brewers, Braves and finally the Rays.
It was especially sweet for Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, Pedro Báez and Justin Turner, four of the most senior Dodgers who had found the ring so elusive. It was a tour de force for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, whose peers selected him the MLB Executive of the Year for building a balanced juggernaut that led the game in home runs and ERA.
Friedman’s greatest move was landing Mookie Betts and David Price in a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox. Betts was the final piece of the puzzle who somehow exceeded sky-high expectations and was the MVP runner-up. Even with Price sitting out the year over health concerns, the Dodgers lost only one series the entire season and were never shut out as Roberts elevated his reputation, now having finished first 5-for-5 with three World Series appearances.
The Dodgers pulled away from the pack through late August and early September with a 19-3 run. In the postseason, they swept the Padres and Brewers, had to battle back from a 1-3 deficit in the NLCS against the Braves and rebounded from a self-inflicted loss in Game 4 against the Rays to clinch their first World Series since 1988 in a bullpen game started by rookie Tony Gonsolin and saved by Julio Urias, who won the NLCS Game 7 clincher in relief.
2021 - After snapping the franchise’s 32-year World Series drought in 2020, the Dodgers entered the 2021 season with most of the same core and a similar goal. They wasted no time establishing their dominance, winning 13 of their first 15 games of the season. It looked like the Dodgers were going to run away with their ninth consecutive division title.
But as the season went on, the Dodgers suffered a barrage of injuries. Clayton Kershaw missed three months with a left forearm injury; Corey Seager missed over two months after breaking his right hand; Mookie Betts also dealt with a bad hip for most of the season. The flurry of injuries made it necessary for the Dodgers to make a splash at the Trade Deadline. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman responded by acquiring three-time Cy Young Award Max Scherzer and All-Star infielder Trea Turner from the Nationals.
With their two new stars, the Dodgers went 43-13 over the last two months, the best record in the Majors. They didn’t lose back-to-back games after acquiring Scherzer and Turner. Despite finishing the season with a 106-56 record, the best by a defending champion in the divisional era, the Dodgers’ streak of eight consecutive NL West titles came to an end as the Giants won a franchise-record 107 games. The division race came down to Game 162.
In the postseason, the Dodgers were able to beat the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card Game on a walk-off two-run homer by Chris Taylor. They were then able to get past the Giants in a thrilling five-game NLDS. But their run came to an end against the eventual champion Braves, losing in Game 6. Much like they did during the regular season, injuries were what ultimately doomed the Dodgers. Max Muncy and Kershaw were lost for the season during the last weekend of the regular season. Justin Turner and Joe Kelly each got hurt during the postseason. Scherzer, who finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting, was scratched from his Game 6 start in the NLCS due to general arm soreness.
2022 – While qualifying for the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year, the Dodgers set a franchise record for most wins during the regular season. The 111-51 mark represented the most wins by an MLB team since the 2001 Seattle Mariners (116-46) and the most by an NL team since the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Dodgers also hosted the MLB All-Star Game for the first time since 1980. The Dodger All-Star representatives included starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Anderson; outfielder Mookie Betts, first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Trea Turner. The Mid-Summer Classic on July 19 coincided with the 100th birthday of Rachel Robinson, the widow of the Dodger Hall of Famer and Civil Rights pioneer.
In the Division Series, the Padres beat the Dodgers in four games in the first Postseason matchup of the respective franchises. Los Angeles won the opener, 5-3, at Dodger Stadium, but the Padres earned a split on the road with a 5-3 decision in Game 2. The Dodgers held a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning of Game 4 at Petco Park, but the Padres rallied for five runs on five hits off three relievers. It was the first Dodgers-Padres postseason meeting.
2023 - The Dodgers didn’t make the blockbuster trade or sign the big free-agent contract of the winter. They also lost key contributors from the previous season in free agency. All that led many outsiders to believe the Dodgers were not the team to be reckoned with in 2023. Instead, the Dodgers won 100 games, becoming the first organization to win 100 or more games in four consecutive full seasons, and stood atop the National League West for the 10th time in 11 seasons.
The Dodgers still had Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Both of them showed exactly why they’re two of the best players in the world, finishing second and third, respectively, in National League Most Valuable Player voting. Betts set a career high with 39 homers and an MLB-record 107 RBI from the leadoff spot en route to his best full season since joining the Dodgers in 2020. Freeman set a new franchise record with 59 doubles and reached career milestones with 300 career homers and 2,000 career hits.
Behind Freeman and Betts, star catcher Will Smith made his first All-Star Game appearance and offseason signing J.D. Martinez was one of the best designated hitters in the Majors. Max Muncy also had a resurgent season, matching his career high with 36 homers. James Outman also broke out, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting after a stellar campaign.
On the pitching side, Clayton Kershaw continued his career excellence, leading the Dodgers in just about every pitching category despite pitching through an injured left shoulder. Kershaw reached the 200-win club, passed Don Drysdale for second all time in wins by a Dodger pitcher and finished the season 56 strikeouts shy of joining the exclusive 3,000 strikeout club. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin suffered season-ending elbow injuries. Youngsters Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan and Ryan Pepiot stepped up and were bright spots for the Dodgers in their absence. Evan Phillips emerged as a top-tiered closer and Brusdar Graterol had one of the great seasons by a Dodger reliever in recent history.
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, their regular season success didn’t translate into any postseason victories, and for the second season in a row, they lost in the National League Division Series. The Dodgers were swept by the D-backs in the NLDS, never holding a lead over the three games.