The Los Angeles Dodgers’ run of dominance in the National League West has spanned for more than a decade at this point.
Not only have the Dodgers captured the NL West title 11 times in the past 12 seasons, but it has also been by a wide margin more often than not. From 2017-2024, the Dodgers led the NL West by a minimum of 10 games four times, including twice by more than 20. In that same timeframe, the Dodgers posted a 333-192 record against division opponents.
But with the recent improvements made by the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, the NL West has become much more competitive. Buoyed by the San Francisco Giants also showing signs of life, the NL West has established itself as arguably the best division in baseball so far in 2025.
Teoscar Hernández is only in his second season with the Dodgers, but he is enjoying the newfound competitiveness in the division, he said during an episode of the “On Base With Mookie Betts” podcast:
“It’s great. I enjoy competing. It’s good to win. Trust me, if I can win 162, yes, good. But for me, it’s more the excitement of baseball. It’s not about just winning, winning, winning, winning. If you don’t feel the pressure from the other teams, I don’t think you’re enjoying it.
“I like the competition. That’s what I said last year when everybody was talking about the Padres, ‘I like this.’ It was fun. I like the pressure and atmosphere that is around when these two teams face each other. It’s not going to be like, ‘The Padres are going to win,’ or ‘The Dodgers are going to win.’ Who knows?”
Hernández spent a majority of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays in the competitive landscape of the American League East. From 2017-2022, Hernández never won the AL East with the Blue Jays as they couldn’t overcome the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Rays.
The team did have its best season of this stretch during Hernández’s last year in Toronto, finishing in second place and seven games back of the Yankees. Three teams from the AL East ended up making the playoffs that season.
Meanwhile, the Padres finished five games behind first place last season, which was the Dodgers’ smallest margin of victory as division champions since 2020 and their slimest in a full season since 2018.
How NL West compares
The NL West currently leads the way with three teams having 15 or more wins. No other division in baseball has more than one.
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