For the fourth straight season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are ending the year at the top of the NL West.
The Dodgers clinched the NL West division title with an 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. Los Angeles becomes the latest team to clinch a division title, joining the NL Central-winning Milwaukee Brewers, NL East-winning Philadelphia Phillies and AL West-winning Seattle Mariners.
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The victory brings the Dodgers to 90 wins, with a 90-69 record. This marks the 12th time in 13 seasons that the Dodgers have won the division, further cementing the team’s recent dominance.
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The Dodgers’ victory Thursday was helped by a two-homer day from first baseman Freddie Freeman, who hit a solo blast in the first inning and a two-run homer in the fourth.
L.A.’s victory was also boosted by Shohei Ohtani’s 54th home run of the year, as the two-way threat sent a ball into the outfield pool. The homer ties Ohtani’s career high and Dodgers single-season record, both of which he set last season.
With Thursday’s win, the San Diego Padres, who have already secured a wild-card berth, fall to 3.5 games back in the division.
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The Dodgers clinched a playoff spot last week in Clayton Kershaw’s final regular-season start in L.A. Kershaw, who has spent his entire 18 year-career with the Dodgers, will retire at the end of the 2025 season.
Despite winning the division, Los Angeles will not have a bye in the first round of the postseason. The Dodgers can’t catch the Phillies or Brewers for the top two records in the NL and thus will have the No. 3 seed and host a wild-card series.
This division title comes a bit later than one might’ve expected from a Dodgers superteam. The Dodgers’ bullpen has been a consistent problem, particularly this month.
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After losing the first game of the D-backs series due to a late bullpen meltdown, they nearly blew it again Wednesday: That near trainwreck saw a stunning eight L.A. pitchers take the mound before the Dodgers pulled off a 5-4 win in 11 innings. Rookie starter Roki Sasaki, who has been out since May due to a shoulder injury, stepped in for a relief appearance and was joined by Kershaw in a rare relief appearance.
Figuring things out in the bullpen is certainly something the Dodgers need to focus on before the playoffs. Another thing that needs to be resolved is the status of All-Star catcher Will Smith, who might not be able to return for the postseason.
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To finish the regular season, the Dodgers will travel to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seattle Mariners, who clinched the AL West on Wednesday, in their final series.
