Dodgers: A Painful Stat Shows the Difficulties of Winning in the Postseason

It’s not easy winning championships. We know that. Regular season success is rarely a direct translation to postseason success, especially in baseball. In a sport where momentum reigns supreme, it almost doesn’t matter what you do in your first 162 games — it only matters what you do in your final 19 or so. The Dodgers have learned that the hard way for the better part of the last decade, but no loss hurt more than their 2022 NLDS exit.

It’s easy to blame the Dodgers for losing. They didn’t look ready to play at a playoff intensity, and looked outmatched by a team that sat 22 games behind them in the regular season. But it’s also really difficult to win at the highest level, and the guys on Sportsnet LA gave a great look into that in their first Access Sportsnet: Dodgers of the offseason.

“We say it repeatedly, it is really hard to win a championship in any sport,” John Hartung said in the beginning of the show. “The winningest regular season teams in the four major sports all failed to win the title.”

In the MLB, the 2001 Mariners squad that went 116-46 failed to reach the World Series, losing to the Yankees in the ALCS in five games.

In the NBA, the 2015-16 Warriors squad that went 73-9 blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, losing to the Cavaliers in seven games.

Over in the NFL in 2007, the undefeated 16-0 Patriots made it to the Super Bowl, only to lose to the 10-6 Giants, who snuck in as a Wild Card.

And in the NHL, the 1995-96 Red Wings had 131 points entering the postseason, only to lose in the Conference Finals to the Avalanche in six games.

It’s not easy winning championships, no matter how you did in the regular season. And sometimes, it seems that too much regular season success ends up hurting you in the postseason.

“When you have that type of talent, and you think you’re the best, you’ve got to perform like you’re the best,” David Vassegh said. “They squandered a golden opportunity to be in the World Series, so I think for everybody involved, even the players that cared, that’s what stings the most.”

I’m not saying the Dodgers shouldn’t care about the regular season. They still need to play well in their first 162 games to have a chance at winning it all. But the Dodgers need to find a way to enter the postseason a little more energized, and ready to go. Because if they don't, we'll be having these same conversations next year.