Dodgers Punch the Ticket
In a year where it felt like it couldn't be done, the Dodgers are World Series bound!
If you asked me when the playoffs started if I anticipated the Dodgers finding their way into the World Series with just 3 starting pitchers, and a matchup with the Padres, I would’ve said no shot in hell. In fact, I said it in blog form just about a week ago. This team has been nothing short of gritty, and were the ones to put out the Mets magic in 2024. I’m feeling amazing right now, despite knowing that they’ll match up with Juan Soto and the Yankees for the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Tommy Edman has proved to be an incredible piece of the puzzle, picked up at the deadline. If you remember my deadline blog, I talked about how much I loved this. Fantastic defense, and with tallying 11 RBI in the series, while being the 4 hitter for most of the NLCS. Coming into the 2024 postseason, Edman had only hit cleanup in ONE MLB game in his entire 6 year career, but finds himself mashing from the 4 spot on the biggest stage in a loaded lineup. Kiké Hernández continues to show why he’s one of the best postseason hitters in the game currently, and the bullpen was spectacular. Blake Treinen looks like his old self, and I love the groove they’re in heading into the World Series. However, my biggest concern is the traffic on the bases. While they’ve been spectacular getting out of jams, it feels like they allow RISP or even bases loaded multiple times per game, a lot of them being via walk or HBP. The Yankees will punish them if that trend continues onto the biggest stage.
Sure, this is what everyone expected preseason. But after the laundry list of injuries (I won’t go into them, I’ve done it before) and not breaking 100 wins, the whole baseball world was out on them. It just felt like another year they’d make an early exit and the payroll jokes would pile up again. But no, they’ve slain grimace and the NY Mets. All props to the Mets (and Mikey/Kevin), they put together an incredible season, full of memes and other wacky shit that truly could only be found in baseball.
My outlook on the Yankees, to no surprise, is grim. This is where they’ve met their match. The Yankees bullpen is debatably the only unit that has been better than the Dodgers this postseason, and gets some extra rest thanks to the lack of bullpen games needed by Aaron Boone’s club. Giancarlo Stanton has been going nuclear this postseason, and Juan Soto is showing the World why he’s worth every penny of the blank check he’ll be receiving this winter. Outside of that ‘Unicorn’ that pitches and hits, Soto may just be the best baseball player on the planet.
I’m expecting heartbreak, but in a year where everything went against the Dodgers, this may just be the time they get it done and retire the “Mickey Mouse” joke.