Ethier: LA must end World Series drought

Club hasn't won it all since '88; Darvish, Wood ready to go

October 5th, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- For veteran Dodgers outfielder , it's World Series or bust.
That was the takeaway from Ethier's comments Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, where the National League West champions held a workout in preparation for Game 1 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile (Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT on TBS) against the D-backs.
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"It's a thing where it doesn't matter how many games you win," Ethier said of the Dodgers' 104 regular-season victories. "It's getting to the playoffs and winning the World Series. There's no banners hanging up that say we're the NL West champions five years in a row. The only banners you see out there are World Series championships. One hundred and four-win seasons, a 90-win season, they don't mean anything unless you're winning. No one is going to remember in five years that this team won 104 games [if it] didn't win the World Series."
For the fifth year in a row, the Dodgers enter the postseason as the NL West champions. The club set a Los Angeles franchise record with 104 wins, but Ethier says the "biggest thing" this year is winning the World Series, something the Dodgers haven't done since 1988.
"I feel like winning the NL West five years in a row leads to complacency," Ethier said. "Especially for this team, this organization, even for the fans you get used to winning five NL West [titles], but you really haven't achieved anything."
Ethier said that feeling "came to reality" when the Dodgers clinched the division during a weekend series against the Giants in late September.
"You look across and it's a 60-win Giants team, how many guys in this clubhouse, how many fans would -- it's tough to say this, but how many fans would love to be in the Giants' situation and have three World Series under their belt in the last five years where we won these NL West championships?" Ethier said.

In their past four postseason appearances, the Dodgers have been eliminated twice in the NL Championship Series and twice in the NLDS.
Darvish, Wood pitch in simulated game
and Alex Wood each pitched three innings in a simulated game Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Manager Dave Roberts has indicated Darvish will start Game 3, but there has been no commitment to Wood as a potential Game 4 starter.
"I think that both guys are physically, mentally in a good place to make their respective starts," Roberts said.

Said Roberts of Wood: "To be a starter, to make a start for us, potentially Game 4, is his. ... I think part of it is he's had a tremendous season and he's been one of our better starters all year long and he matches up with both teams. For him to be a huge part of the discussion makes complete sense."
, Josh Fields and also pitched an inning each. The Dodgers will have another sim game Thursday at Dodger Stadium, with starters and slated to pitch.
Reserves at the ready
Once the Dodgers set their 25-man roster, the club plans to have a group of players traveling with the team as a taxi squad and another set of players staying ready in Arizona at the club's Spring Training complex at Camelback Ranch-Glendale.
The group of players that will continue working out in Arizona includes: infielder Rob Segedin, outfielders and and pitchers and .