It’s party time in Los Angeles and Japan. The Los Angeles Dodgers have taken the NL West crown by winning against the Padres, just two days after the Padres clinched a playoff berth. Great for Los Angeles. In Japan, the hero Shohei Ohtani, broke an MLB record just a week before Ohtani clinched his first postseason berth, and then just days before he clinched his first division crown. Not just Shohei though. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is also part of this success.
It wasn’t just a one-day thing. It was not a one-season thing. It was not an one offseason thing. All of this started in 2017.
Let’s talk about the beginnings of the 2024 Dodgers team and more.
Dodgers IL/Other Updates:
- Gavin Stone is now officially out for the season and while Tyler Glasnow is said to be out for the year, there is still a possibility he can pitch in the World Series if the Dodgers make it there.
- Shohei Ohtani is most likely a no for pitching this year. They’re trying to save him.
- Freddie Freeman rolled his ankle in the middle of the game versus the Padres. This is not supposed to be a serious injury, but worth noting.
The Dodgers Clinch the NL East
The (Early) Beginnings
The build for this team started in 2017. Kobe Bryant, the NBA legend, sent over a video for the Dodgers to recruit Ohtani. The fact that this stayed quiet for six years, is pretty surprising. You see, at that time, Ohtani was just coming over from Japan and was a highly touted international prospect. The Dodgers were in a sweepstakes to acquire Ohtani.
Long story short, they didn’t get him.
10 years. 10 long years. The Dodgers went after Ohtani and chased him, trying to get him to be the first-ever Japanese baseball player to skip the NPB and come straight to the MLB. That didn’t happen, and the Dodgers understood that. What happened next was the worst.
When the time came for teams to sign Ohtani, he didn’t sign with the Dodgers all because of the DH’ing rule as in 2017, the National League teams didn’t have the DH position. Instead, all pitchers hit. The Dodgers had an offer that was basically where Ohtani played the field as well as pitch. Since Ohtani was attempting to be a two-way player, he didn’t want to withstand the rigors of what he was going to accept. He definitely liked the location though, because he signed with the Angels, a team 30 miles down south of the Dodgers.
His so-called attitude hurt him though, as he didn’t make the playoffs in any year with the Angels.
The Beginnings (Offseason)
We all know he was fed up with the Angels. He knew he was good and he wanted to make it to the postseason. His best chance? Go to a team that’s already good. There’s no other team like that other than the Dodgers or the Yankees. Ultimately, the location, money, and playoff experience (the Yankees missed the playoffs in 2023).
This time was different. Every team has a DH. And the Dodgers offered so much more, from the 10 division titles in 11 seasons, to the farm system that churned out major leaguers on the regular, to the robust analytical group that dispenses wisdom to players.
-ESPN’s Jeff Passan
700 million dollars. Record-breaking numbers. Was he worth it?
Not just that, but Yamamoto, the Dodgers “ace” signed a 12-year, $325 million deal. That’s pretty massive. Without Yamamoto, this already ailing Dodgers rotation would be even worse, saving the Dodgers from even more terror.
2 targets down. Starting pitching was the Dodgers’ biggest weakness and they improved it. They also needed a right-handed batter which they got in Teoscar Hernandez for only $23.5 million. That seems like a lot, but trust me, compared to every other amazing outfielder in the league, this is a steal.
Don’t forget about the Glasnow blockbuster trade. Without him, I don’t know where the Dodgers would’ve gone.
This was the absolute perfect offseason for the Dodgers. They could’ve definitely expanded on relief pitching, but with an offense like the Dodgers have, would that really matter?
The Season
It turned out it really did.
What a rotation this Dodgers team had at the start of the season! What a rotation the Dodgers have now…
95 wins later? 95 hard-fought, gritty wins later, the Dodgers finally clinch the division. There were so many streaks throughout the season. So many tough breaks like the TJ Surgeries. In the end, they were right back where they should be. At the top of the NL West.
What a year.
Other MLB Updates:
- The Oakland Athletics played their final game in Oakland. They had an attendance of about 50,000.
- The Yankees clinched the division.
- The Phillies clinched the division.
- The Rays are eliminated from postseason contention.
Main Image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
