Three World Series titles in six years. From 2017 to 2025, five World Series appearances. Twelve of the last thirteen National League (NL) West titles belong to them. If you couldn’t guess the team, it’s the Boys in Blue, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers’ reign of dominance is here, and it seems they are only getting started. But to get to this point, it wasn’t easy.
The journey began in 2017. The Dodgers won 104 games that year, and they had themselves a squad. This team was led by rookie sensation Cody Bellinger, star shortstop Corey Seager, and outfielder Yasiel Puig. Their pitching was great, especially with Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood being the aces for the team, and with closer Kenley Jansen having one of the best seasons of his career. They then had a dominant postseason run, losing just one game heading into the World Series.
Here, they would face the Houston Astros, but sadly would lose in seven games to them. This series consisted of some of the most entertaining baseball games, as both teams performed incredibly. In a shocking turn of events, it would later be revealed that the Astros were using sign stealing tactics to be aware of what pitches were going to be thrown by opposing teams. With how electric both teams were, who knows how this series truly would have turned out without cheating from the Astros?
The Dodgers would then return most of their key players as they hoped to earn another chance at a World Series the following season in 2018. With this, they would trade for star third baseman Manny Machado, hoping he could be the missing piece they needed to win a championship. Los Angeles would have another great regular season, then another deep playoff run just like in 2017. They reached the World Series once more, this time facing the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox, with ease, defeated the Dodgers in just five games. The Dodgers were only getting older and it seemed as if the margin to win was closing.
Disaster struck for Los Angeles in 2019. They won 106 games, and it seemed that they were bound to make another deep playoff run as they hoped to finally breakthrough and win a title. But trouble came up in the NL Divisional round as they faced the Washington Nationals. The Boys in Blue would lose in five games, ending their World Series hopes and raising the question of if this team would ever be ready for a World Series run.
In 2020, the Dodgers knew they needed to add another star to this roster that had playoff experience to get them back to the World Series. That star would end up being Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox, who they acquired along with David Price and promising young reliever Brusdar Graterol in a blockbuster deal with the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. Los Angeles would have to give up outfielder Alex Verdugo and solid starter Kenta Maeda, but they understood they needed to make this move.
In a shortened season due to COVID-19, the Dodgers had the best record in baseball and hoped this would be their year. They would begin dominating the first two rounds, but found themselves in trouble during the NL championship series against the Atlanta Braves. They went down 3-1 in the series and were on the brink of elimination. With this, they came together and miraculously won three straight games to advance to the World Series. Here, they faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays, a promising young team. But they were no match, as the Dodgers defeated them in six games, bringing the trophy back to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles would then fail to make it back to the World Series for the next two seasons, even after 2021, acquiring stars Trea Turner and Max Scherzer, who would then move on from the team shortly after. On paper, 2022 had the best Dodgers team yet, but they failed to get out of the first round as they fell to their division rival, the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers made a return in 2024 and 2025, winning back-to-back championships for the City of Angels. Notably, they acquired two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani prior to this, who has been an incredible help, shaping the team into what it is now.
Overall, it is safe to say that Los Angeles is in the middle of their glory years, and the team is only getting stronger. Who knows how long the Dodgers’ reign will last, but the chances of going for a three-peat are not out of the question.
