Los Angeles Dodgers: 2017 Season Review and Offseason Preview
What went right, what went wrong, and what are the top priorities for the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason?
In the long history of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, which goes back to 1884 when they were called the Brooklyn Atlantics, the 2017 team won the second-most regular season games in franchise history. Only the 1953 team of Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, and Duke Snider won more.
This year’s Los Angeles Dodgers were good in nine-inning games (.638 winning percentage), extra-inning games (.667), one-run games (.568), and blowouts (.698). They were good on the road (.580) and very good at home (.704).
They also had one of the most incredible streaks any baseball fan has ever seen. Heading into their game on June 7, they were 35-25 and in second place, two games behind the surprising Colorado Rockies.
Then they went 56-11, which included a stretch in which they went 29-4. By August 25, they were 91-36 and had a 21-game lead in the NL West. Their .717 winning percentage inspired talk of them challenging the all-time regular season wins record of 116 held by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 2001 Seattle Mariners.
That didn’t happen, of course. The immediately lost 16 of 17 games and went 13-22 over their last 35 games.
They still finished 11 games ahead of the Diamondbacks in the NL West and made the playoffs for the fifth year in a row, but didn’t come close to the regular season record for wins, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The playoffs began with a quick three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks. The NLCS was only slightly more challenging, as the Dodgers dispatched the Cubs in five games. That set up a World Series against the 101-win Houston Astros, making this the first time since 1970 that two 100-win teams faced each other in the Fall Classic.
The World Series was epic. The Dodgers took the first game behind nine well-pitched innings from Clayton Kershaw, Brandon Morrow, and Kenley Jansen. The Astros won the second game in an 11-inning contest that saw the teams combine to use 14 pitchers.
The Astros took a series lead in Game 3 when Brad Peacock pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief to get the save. The Dodgers evened things up by getting to the Astros’ bullpen in the late innings of Game 4.
Game 5 will be one of those “best World Series games ever” they’ll show on TV for years to come. The Dodgers had a 4-0 lead and a 7-4 lead with Clayton Kershaw on the mound, but he couldn’t get through five innings. Each team landed blow after blow like heavyweight boxers in a pay-per-view extravaganza. When the dust settled, the Astros had a 13-12 victory in 10 innings.
The Dodgers weren’t done, though. They came back with a 3-1 victory in Game 6 and a chance to win their first World Series since the 1988 Kirk Gibson victory over the Oakland Dennis Eckersleys.
Unfortunately, after such a great series, Game 7 was a dud. Yu Darvish was knocked around for five runs (4 earned) in the first two innings and the Dodgers’ bats couldn’t get the big hit when it was needed. The Astros won their first World Series ever.
Despite the World Series loss, the Dodgers had a very good season. They also look to be contenders for years to come. Here is a look at what went right, what went wrong, and the team’s top offseason priorities.