Dodgers magic numbers
Yesterday at 01:35 AM
A closer look at what the postseason-bound Dodgers need to clinch various things in the season's final days.
The Dodgers have already clinched their 12th consecutive postseason berth, with a chance for a third straight National League West title and 11th divisional crown over those last dozen years. Here's what they need over the regular season's final days to clinch various things, including qualifying and playoff seeding.
"I think of it in two separate parts. One is the regular season goal, which is to win the division, and put ourselves in the best position to accomplish our ultimate goal," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said during the SportsNet LA broadcast on September 9 against the Cubs. "The ultimate goal obviously is to win the World Series."
The Dodgers have won at least 90 games for 11 consecutive full seasons dating back to 2013, the second-longest streak in MLB history.
National League West
Division standings through September 24
Dodgers 93-64 (.592)
Padres 91-66 (.580) 2 games back
The Dodgers magic number to clinch the division is 4.
The Dodgers host the Padres for three games from September 24-26 at Dodger Stadium. If Los Angeles wins two of the three games, they can clinch the division at home. The earliest the Dodgers could clinch the NL West is Thursday, September 26.
San Diego beat the Dodgers in eight of their 11 matchups this season and has clinched the season series, earning the tiebreaker should the two teams finish with the same record.
The Diamondbacks were eliminated from the NL West race on September 22 with their 69th loss, while the Dodgers already at 93 wins to that point. A three-way tie was still technically possible at that point, but in that scenario the Padres would have the best record within games between the three teams and would have won the division in that case.
Clinching a playoff spot
The Dodgers' win against the Marlins in Miami on September 19 was their 91st of the season, ensuring Los Angeles would finish no worse than the sixth-best record in the National League. That clinched their 12th consecutive playoff berth.
National League seeding
It's a close battle between division leaders in the NL. Through September 24:
Dodgers 93-64 (.592)
Phillies 93-65 (.589)
Brewers 90-67 (.573)
Division winners with the two best records earn byes directly into the division series, while the third-best division winner has to play in the best-of-three wild card round.
The Dodgers lost the season series against the Phillies, dropping five of six games, giving Philadelphia that tiebreaker. But Los Angeles owns the tiebreaker over the Brewers by winning four out of seven over Milwaukee.
The Dodgers have a magic number of 2 over the Brewers to clinch a bye into the NLDS (if the Dodgers win the NL West). Put another way, the Dodgers need 2 out of 10 outcomes to fall their way.
The Dodgers magic number to clinch the best record in the National League is 5.
