The 2025 season has been far from expected for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they remain in strong position for a 13th consecutive playoff berth and 12th National League West title during that span.
Though, the Dodgers aren’t guaranteed another division title as they enter play Friday with just a 2.5-game lead over the San Diego Padres for first place. The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the NL West is 13 heading into their series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
After trudging through a 1-5 road trip that ended with a win against the Baltimore Orioles, the Dodgers swept the Colorado Rockies. Thus, their four-game winning streak has been built on defeating sub-.500 teams.
But that is exactly the type of opponent that had been giving the Dodgers fits for the better part of the second half of this season.
“I still stand by it’s up to us and how we play, regardless of opponent,” manager Dave Roberts said this week. “Obviously we’ve talked about us against teams under .500 and how we’ve played. So it’s kind of regardless of the opponent.
“The Giants are playing as good of baseball as anyone right now, and they’re fighting for a Wild Card, so they’re going to give us everything they have. You’ve got a division rival, team that’s hungry and playing well, so it’s going to be a battle up there for three nights.”
Dodgers tie National League record
By completing a sweep of the Rockies, the Dodgers notched their 82nd win of the year. That amounted to clinching a 15th consecutive winning season, tying an NL record that three other franchises have accomplished.
It’s shared with the 2008-2022 St. Louis Cardinals, 1991-2005 Atlanta Braves, 1939-1953 Cardinals and 1899-1913 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Dodgers winning seasons
The Dodgers’ streak of 15 winning seasons began in 2011, when they went 82-79 and played one game short of a full season because a rainout was not rescheduled. They missed the playoffs that year and again in 2012 with an 86-76 record.
An improvement in 2012 saw the Dodgers finish two games back of qualifying.
The Dodgers have otherwise qualified for October baseball in 12 of their 15 winning seasons thus far. This year will mark the 13th such instance as they look to become MLB’s first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three World Series in a row from 1998-2000.
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