This is the matchup the baseball loving world has been waiting for. This is story book but it almost did not go as planned for the LA Dodgers. After consecutive early exits from the National League Division Series, the Dodgers’ front office knew they had to change course. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Brandon Gomes, and the rest of the team’s leadership were determined to make aggressive moves in the offseason to avoid another disappointing October.
Obviously it was clear their top priority was signing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, and once they secured him, the rest of the plan fell into place. The Dodgers spent over $1 billion on contracts, creating one of the strongest rosters in recent memory. The goal for the 2024 season was clear: World Series or bust.
And as the world watched on Sunday (October 20), the Dodgers took care of business and a major step toward their ultimate goal by defeating the New York Mets 10-5 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) at Dodger Stadium. With the victory, they clinched their spot in the World Series for the 22nd time in franchise history.
The Dodges effectively denied New Yorkers another classic ‘Subway Series’ by denying Mets fans a chance to face-off against their Bronx counterparts in the NY Yankees.
Guess now it will be a coastal series.
Back to the Dodgers …
“Every single team, when they get to Spring Training, they say, ‘Hey, our goal is to win the World Series this year.’ We’re one of the few teams where that’s a realistic goal—every single year,” said Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy. “There’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot of expectations. Especially this year when you talk about some of the names we added. We dealt with a lot of injuries. We dealt with some off-field stuff that was very unfortunate. And at the end of the day, we were able to come through.”
Against the New York Yankees in the World Series, this will set up a clash between two historic powerhouses. It will be the 12th time the Dodgers and Yankees have met in the Fall Classic, but the first since 1981.
“It sounds fun,” said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts. “They’re obviously a good club; we obviously are, too. I think the world wanted to see this. It’s going to be fun. It’s good for baseball. It’s going to be fun.”
What’s more, despite a roster filled with star players, the Dodgers leaned on their bullpen to punch their ticket to the World Series. With no fourth starter available, the team employed a bullpen game for the third time this postseason. While their previous efforts had been mixed, this time the Dodgers’ relievers got the job done, using seven pitchers to secure the win. They allowed five runs but consistently delivered clutch pitches, stranding 13 Mets baserunners.
“Tonight is a bit of icing on the cake,” said Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips. “We still have more to do, but to know that we can come in here in a series-clinching game and have a bullpen game and have success just gives us even more confidence. We believe in each other wholeheartedly, and we just love watching each other succeed.”
Seems surreal but Dodgers and Yankees are each just four wins away from their ultimate goal, with the World Series set to begin on Friday at Dodger Stadium.
Storybook stuff for sure.
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