The Los Angeles Dodgers have owned the National League West Division in recent history.
After finishing the 2024 season with a record of 98 wins and 64 losses, the Dodgers won the National League West for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.
They are the number 1 seed in the National League and currently have a 1-0 series lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.
Most teams would feel the pressure lifted after winning their first postseason game, but it is a different story with the Dodgers.
According to MLB Analyst Dontrelle Willis, the Dodgers must win the World Series, or the season is a bust.
Is it World Series or Bust for the Dodgers?
"Absolutely, but they put that level of standard on themselves"@DTrainMLB talks about why that is the case for the Dodgers pic.twitter.com/0UVXydsC93
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 6, 2024
The Dodgers regularly find themselves as one of the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball.
They regularly bring in All-Star and Most Valuable Player talent, with the most recent player being Shohei Ohtani who is in his first season with the team.
Willis points out that the Dodgers have the best players, and having such a high-paying roster brings an expectation that other teams just don’t have.
Even with the regular high-power rosters each year, the Dodgers have only won the World Series twice since 1988, with the most recent being in 2020.
In 2024, the Dodgers have dealt with many injuries, specifically to their starting rotation.
Big-name pitchers such as Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw are not pitching in the postseason for the Dodgers this year.
The Dodgers will rely on newly acquired Jack Flaherty and Rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto to lock down their starting rotation in the 2024 playoffs.
Game 2 will go down on Sunday night in Los Angeles against the Padres.
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