[JSR] The Dodgers’ Elusive Quest for a World Series Title

The Los Angeles Dodgers last won a championship in 1988 in one of the biggest World Series upsets of all time. The 94-67 Dodgers were heavy underdogs in the 1988 World Series against the Oakland Athletics that had won 104 games. Thanks to ace starter Orel Hershiser, who won the 1988 Cy Young Award, and an iconic walk-off home run from injured slugger Kirk Gibson, the Dodgers pulled off a miraculous win and went on to take home the championship - something that they still haven’t repeated in 30 years.

In MLB, a standard playoff bracket consists of a single elimination game, two five game series in each league, and a seven game series in each league. Following this is the World Series, so to just reach the World Series, all a team has to do is to win seven total games before you lose a combined seven games against two teams.

For the Dodgers, this would seem easy enough, considering that they have been one of the best teams in baseball for the past 30 years. However, even the best teams can crumble under pressure and lose against teams far worse than they are.

Teams can also come back from large deficits, since in baseball there is no clock and only 27 outs. If a team is able to continue getting hits and not get out, they have a chance at coming back no matter the score, as the Dodgers know well.

Since 1988, the Dodgers have made it to the playoffs eleven times and have still failed to win another World Series. Their last trip to the World Series in 2017 ended in failure when the Astros produced multiple comebacks from large deficits in Game 2 and Game 5 to win one of the most exciting postseason series of all time.

If the Dodgers were to again win a World Series, it would surely be a difficult journey. The team has made the postseason so many times without actually winning it all, even despite the years where the team was actually good enough to win the championship.

It is difficult for any team to win the World Series, making the championship special for all 30 teams across the league. But for the Dodgers, it would be even more special if they won it all because of their long 30-year championship drought and recent postseason appearances where the fans have seen their team struggle.

This year, however, the Dodgers have struggled early on in the season and while they have recovered, their record is not and will not be as good compared to previous years. There are many teams that are better than the Dodgers this year so it would take a miracle for them to win it all in 2018.

However, anything is possible and the Dodgers definitely have the best or one of the best offenses and pitching in the National League. Dodger fans have suffered disappointment for thirty years. Can 2018 finally be the year for LA?