For the past several years running, the Los Angeles Dodgers are concluding the season as the NL West’s top team.
The Dodgers secured the NL West divisional title by defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-0 on Thursday. Los Angeles joins the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Seattle Mariners as division champions in the NL Central, NL East, and AL West, respectively.
The victory elevates the Dodgers to 90 wins, giving them a 90-69 record overall. This marks the 12th time in the last 13 seasons that the Dodgers have won the division, solidifying their recent run of success.
The Dodgers’ decisive win was fueled by an outstanding performance from first baseman Freddie Freeman, who belted two home runs, a solo shot in the first inning and a two-run homer in the fourth.
L.A.’s triumph was also highlighted by Shohei Ohtani’s 54th home run of the year, with the two-way star launching the ball into the outfield pool in Arizona. The home run matches Ohtani’s career high and Dodgers single-season record, which he achieved last season.
Following Thursday’s win, the San Diego Padres are now 3.5 games behind in the division, although they have already secured a wild-card spot.
The Dodgers officially clinched a playoff berth last week, during Clayton Kershaw’s final regular-season start in LA. Kershaw, who has dedicated his entire 18-year career to the Dodgers, will retire at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
Despite winning the division, Los Angeles will not receive a bye in the first round of the postseason, as the Dodgers cannot surpass the Phillies or Milwaukee Brewers for the top two records in the NL.
The division title arrives slightly later than anticipated for a Dodgers superteam. The Dodgers’ bullpen has consistently presented challenges, particularly this month.
After losing the first game of the D-Backs series due to a late bullpen collapse, they nearly repeated the scenario on Wednesday. That near-disaster involved a remarkable eight L.A. pitchers taking the mound before the Dodgers ultimately secured a 5-4 win in 11 innings. Rookie starter Roki Sasaki, who has been sidelined since May with a shoulder injury, made a relief appearance, alongside Kershaw in a rare relief role.
Looking ahead, the bullpen is an area the Dodgers will undoubtedly need to address for the playoffs, as is the situation with All-Star catcher Will Smith, whose availability for the postseason remains uncertain. However, Los Angeles has maintained enough strength to secure the division and advance into October with relative ease.
The Dodgers will journey to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Mariners, who clinched the AL West on Wednesday, in the final series of the regular season.
