I told you so!
Yes, the Dodgers are the 2024 World Champs, and yes, Dave Roberts did a masterful job. Yes, the Dodgers won four out of five games. But, the Yankees had a higher batting average than the Dodgers, a higher OB%, higher SLG, higher OPS, and more HRs, but the Dodgers only outscored them by one run in the entire World Series. The Yankees had a 3.83 ERA, while the Dodgers ERA was 4.80. So, how in the hell did the Dodgers win? They played defense, they ran the bases, and they executed… relentlessly! The best team rarely wins, but they did this year.
This was a team win. Blake Treinen laid it all out. Freddie was the Series MVP, and Striker Buehler hit 97 MPH in the 9th inning for the save. It was a storybook ending for the Boys in Blue, and it should remind us how hard it is to win a World Series. As you know, I grew weary of the morons who want to fire Doc or Friedman every time something bad happens. They are gone… good riddance to bad rubbish and maybe that is what it took to turn this all around. I am going to enjoy this for a few days… just like the Dodgers are.
BTW, Walker Buehler will be a Dodger next year!
I am pretty sure that I am going to scale this blog way back, but it will remain open. I just don’t know how often I will post… but I will post. Enjoy the win, and carry on!
Well offensive stats kind of skewed by 1 big outburst by Yanks. It still only led to 1 win. Obviously we outscored them and outpitched them 4 times
Thank you David. I was thinking the same. Heck yes we are The 2024 World Series champions. We dominated the Yankees 4 games to 1.
what a great feeling! Tried to feel bad for Garrett Cole last night. I just couldn’t do it. I tried to feel bad for Aaron Judge last night. I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t try to feel bad for jazz Chisholm last night. I felt great for Walker Buehler, I felt great for Blake Trienan. I felt great for the whole dodger team and organization! And I sincerely apologize for ever criticizing Dave Roberts. He won’t win manager of the year. That’ll probably go to the guy in Milwaukee. But as far as I’m concerned, Roberts’s manager of the year. I know it’s a little early for off-season talk but I’m so jacked this morning. I can’t help myself. I’m ready for spring training already. I hope they resign Walker. I don’t think Jack will be back. I would go after Corbin Burns. That would leave glassnow, Burns, Yamamoto, Walker, and pick from Clayton, Gonsolin , And Knack. Leo Mazzoe Was on my son show Wednesday. He said he was far more impressed with Knack Than Flagerty . Said he loved his form and delivery. I think he knows a little about pitching. Please AF Resign Teo. I thought he outplayed Soto in the outfield during the series. I think an outfield of Teo, Edmonds and Pages Would work just fine. Mookie at second Freddy at first, Adames atshortstop . Max, I’ll let him go. Rushing becomes back up to Smith, and can Platoon in the outfield. Resign kiki, Taylor? see that wasn’t hard!!!! once again, just so thrilled the Dodgers won the World Series! My grandson, FaceTime me this morning at 7 AM! Both my sons FaceTime me after midnight last night! My wife who hardly ever watches major-league baseball, watch the last two innings in celebration with me! with all the crap going on in the world, nothing but happy happy happy going on for dodger fans right now! Thanks mark for keeping us sane! We’re all getting older, but being a dodger fan never gets old! Please keep it going, mark!
I do feel a bit bad for Judge, who seems like a good guy. Just when it seemed he broke out of his slump, he flubbed an easy catch–and it led to an epic rally.
Feel a little bad for Volpe, who was the Yankees’ hero in Game Four, but botched that throw to 3B.
I’ve watched the replay of Mookie’s grounder to Rizzo a few times–and I think both Cole and Rizzo screwed up. Obviously Cole should have covered 1B, but he must have stopped running because it looked like Rizzo should have made the play handily. And he should have! Watch the replay and you see that Rizzo didn’t move in on that not-hard-hit ball at all, but moved laterally. He should have met the grounder on a path that would have taken him directly to the bag. Cole must have seen that, and so he stopped. Certainly Cole screwed up–but I wouldn’t let Rizzo off the hook either. He misplayed it too, failing to get to the ball quickly. Even if Cole had dashed to the bag, would he have beaten Mookie? I’m not sure.
One of the great things about baseball is how the game can turn on the little mistakes and not just the walk-off grand slams.
Yes, I think Buehler has probably earned himself a decent offer to remain with the Dodgers. Down the stretch, he improved with every outing, and in the WS he burnished his reputation as a big-game pitcher.
Should be an interesting off-season.
I’ll one up that. I hope they don’t make an offer to Flaherty.
He gets his ring, now bye-bye.
Dodgerdad my friend, who is your son,and what show does he have. If you don’t mind me asking. I would like to check it out if possible.
Barnes. No ABs in entire playoffs!!
FRICKIN AWESOME.
WORLD SERIES CHAMPS.
For anyone that listens to Dodger Talk I was on last night at the ’48th minute.
Cheers Dodger Fans!!! What a Team!!
What a way to end the season by coming back from 5 runs and beating the Yankees. Couldn’t write it any better than that. The Yankee defensive miscue’s sure got magnified and we took advantage of everyone of them.
16 playoff games in 25 days is exhausting and I am glad it didn’t go back to LA for game 6 and/or 7.
The future sure looks bright and I don’t see any reason why we can’t compete for more titles in the near future.
Nice to win a title with a full season and we can put the 2020 covid title anomaly to bed now.
Huddy will be forever linked to a great Dodger in a piece of useless trivia! The only two pitchers that struck out the last two batters in the bottom of the ninth of game seven are Huddy and Sandy Koufax!!
I think a special shout out to Honeywell is called for. Did he pitch good; not really. But, his 4 innings pitched during game 5 of the NLCS, set the bullpen up for a win in game 6 (Muncy told him that after his outing).
While he got hit hard during his stint in game 4, he threw close to 50 pitches and again saved the bill pen for game 5. Somewhat of an unsung hero.
I messed up big time yesterday!
My day was a “Bilvet” – old military term for 5-lbs of Sh_t in a 3-lb sack – as we left on vacation this morning and I had to pack, finish some stuff around the house etc., so after the 4th inning I stop watching the game for a bit to try and get some of my tasks accomplished – lo and behold, my wife who is a Giant fan (born/raised in Napa) came out to tell me the score was 5-5 – I totally thought she was messing with me!
I told her that was crazy as they didn’t even have a hit!
Came back in for the bottom of the 5th, looked at the box score and asked her how in hell did they score 5-runs and not even have a homer.
Needless to say I didn’t move from the couch the rest of the game:)
Awesome victory for the team! – Finally able to bury the COVID BS that I have had to listen too from Giant fans the past 4-years!
Here are my 10-takeaways (which by the way except for Item 1, are just my untrained, non-professional thoughts and open-ended questions):
1. Mark – cannot thank you enough for this site – it is crazy good for us Dodger fans. Please feel free to step away from any writing etc. until – let’s say Feb 20th! HOWEVER, if you do get the urge to post before then, I will not object:)
2. Agreed – Dodgers resign Buehler – how can they not! – 19 WS innings – 1 earned run. His stuff was incredible last night.
3. Resign Teo? – he was a definite missing piece – however, while I know he wants to remain with the Dodgers, I think other teams will offer more money and years.
4. Do not think Flaherty will be re-signed, he gave us 2-great games in the playoff, which were key and 3-bad ones.
5 . Soto – is scary good, would love for him to be a Dodger but with Boras as his agent – think it is a long-shot.
6. Took awhile to come around, as I am a fan of Lux, but now agree with Mark and a few others that he may be traded and Mookie moves to 2nd. Edman is more than adequate at SS. He is a better hitting version of Kiki.
7. Agreed – resign Kiki, he has earned his place to remain a Dodger and was a key reason they won this year.
8. Sign Adames? – on the surface sounds great as he had a fantastic year, but will want 6-years as he approaches 30. The Dodgers have a lot of long-term contracts – do they want another due to his age?
9. Still tired of Taylor – great guy but doesn’t bring enough to the table to be on the team. Unfortunately he still has a year left on his contract.
10. What do the Dodgers do with Dalton – don’t think he has anything else to prove in the minors.
To all who post on this site – thanks for your thoughts as I really enjoy hearing from other Dodger fans.
Last thought – per Mookie last night, he stated in response to a question from Alex Rodriguez that the club became really tight and got the “bull-dog” mentality (them against everybody) after receiving the bad news about Glasnow – which is about the time Mark got tired of the “morons” and changed this site – coincidence? – I think not.
Wow, what a great comeback after being down by 5. The Dodgers are World Champs! This series had 2 great bookend games. Game 1 with Freddie’s 10th inning walk off grand slam and last night with the comeback from a 5 run deficit and the gutsy pitching of Treinen and Buehler. Next years team should be better.
Anyone else think Kike’ was a key to the first two Yankee miscues in the 5th inning? Judge seemed to take his eye off an easy fly ball to look at Kike’ intentionally straying a bit too far off first, I believe Smoltz may have mentioned this. Then it looks like Kike’ took a wider route to 3rd than necessary on the ground ball to Volpe’s right to try and get into the throwing lane Volpe had to third, and it appears Volpe may have just slightly had to rush that throw resulting in him throwing it into the ground?
The fault lies with both Rizzo and Cole, but what gets underappreciated is the hustle Mookie showed charging down the line. His speed created that issue, and it reflects the Dodgers attitude: take nothing for granted. The Yankees were flat, didn’t make the big plays when needed and, IMO, they’re a bit of a paper tiger. The Padres were the best team the Dodgers faced this postseason.
I’ve come around on Buehler. I assumed he was done. He’s figured it out. He won’t be the guy who pitched that game 6 against the Braves in 2020, but he’s become a better pitcher. He looked great last night. Just went after it and attacked the zone with a variety of pitches. I was hoping he’d get Verdugo with two outs. Buehler is a gamer and loves that competition. I knew Verdugo would wilt in that moment. He’s never had the psychological makeup, which is one of the reasons why he was shipped out. Give Walker a one year deal for 12 mil.
This is what the Dodgers should be doing. They’re the best team in the regular season, then wilt in the playoffs. Finally, the best team actually came out on top at the end, and just did everything right. I was glad Freddie stepped up. Had it been Ohtani, the naysayers would’ve said he and his 700 mil salary carried the Dodgers like a Jansport. It wasn’t the Ohtani show. It was a team effort.
The Dodgers won fair and square and silenced all potential criticism. They didn’t luck out with bad calls. It’s not a pandemic shortened season. They had the best record in the regular season and showed they were the best team in the playoffs – in terms of performance, good decisions and hustle.
Congrats. Good to be a Dodger fan. Even Scott Andes must be happy for once.
Wow! Just soaking it all in. It’s been a really long drought ,but the Dodgers are Champions. Ok they beat everybody in that 2020 made for TV debacle. Cutout fans…seriously? But I digress. This was sweet beating the dreaded Yankees.
As for what I think….nobody cares. But my thoughts on what I think Friedman and Gomes will do, here goes. I don’t think they go big for Soto. They’re scared of arms falling off. So no go on any starter free agent….except a pillow here and there. Striker anyone? The young position players are raw. But the young pitching is formidable. They like veterans but will say no to Adames. At short they go with Miggy Ro and Alex Freeland. With Tommy Ballgame their ace in the hole. Sorry this isn’t popular but Max at 3rd. Mookie at 2nd. Freddie. Sign Teoscar. Edmans at CF. Sign Kike. …..Rushing, Pages, Outman……..
Hmmm. They might eat CT3’s contract.
All the young guns on the mound will play…alot. Bullpen tweaks only.
That leaves
Ohtani
Yamamoto
Kershaw
Glasnow
Gonsolin
May
Buehler-pillow
Sasaki-who knows
The world is their oyster.
Book em
I forgot Miller too last night. Buehler made himself more than a pillow contract last night.
The fault lies with both Rizzo and Cole, but what gets underappreciated is the hustle Mookie showed charging down the line. His speed created that issue, and it reflects the Dodgers attitude: take nothing for granted. The Yankees were flat, didn’t make the big plays when needed and, IMO, they’re a bit of a paper tiger. The Padres were the best team the Dodgers faced this postseason.
I’ve come around on Buehler. I assumed he was done. He’s figured it out. He won’t be the guy who pitched that game 6 against the Braves in 2020, but he’s become a better pitcher. He looked great last night. Just went after it and attacked the zone with a variety of pitches. I was hoping he’d get Verdugo with two outs. Buehler is a gamer and loves that competition. I knew Verdugo would wilt in that moment. He’s never had the psychological makeup, which is one of the reasons why he was shipped out. Give Walker a one year deal for 12 mil.
This is what the Dodgers should be doing. They’re the best team in the regular season, then wilt in the playoffs. Finally, the best team actually came out on top at the end, and just did everything right. I was glad Freddie stepped up. Had it been Ohtani, the naysayers would’ve said he and his 700 mil salary carried the Dodgers like a Jansport. It wasn’t the Ohtani show. It was a team effort.
The Dodgers won fair and square and silenced all potential criticism. They didn’t luck out with bad calls. It’s not a pandemic shortened season. They had the best record in the regular season and showed they were the best team in the playoffs – in terms of performance, good decisions and hustle.
Congrats. Good to be a Dodger fan. Even Scott Andes must be happy for once.
Nice Patch!
Book em
I never liked Soto, I always thought he was a stupid clown, and even more so when he played with the SD guys, but after seeing him play with the Yankees, well, I still think he is, but I realize that it was the bad influence of that shitty team and those retarded players that made him look worse.
Would I like him to play for the Dodgers? Of course, any team would want to have him, with LA I’m sure it would be much better, no nonsense, just people with a good attitude, teammates from whom he could learn, not bad influences.
But maybe it wouldn’t be better to sign Adames, Teo and Fried or Snell?
Or try to sign a young superstar and future Hall of Famer?
I love this team….I hope we bring Teoscar back more than anyone else that’s gonna be a FA. Teoscar is so key to this team and just fits in perfect with the Big 3 superstars. Don’t let him walk Friedman!
i like Adames at ss! no to soto! resign teo ! find max a new home. thanks for some good years , but it’s time for a new face at 3rd. he walked a sh-t load against the mets, but was absolutely awful against the yankees. but if he’s here, go max! i forgot about the other Max,(fried) . rumor is he wants to be in LA. that’s ok, isn’t it? Also forgot about bobby miller! maybe he becomes trade bait? maybe he figures it out. sure gonna be a crowded crew of potential starters next season. did i hear hudson retired?
Hudson is gone….
Thanks for running the blog. I’m a regular reader but do not comment. It was a great season and the blog only improved after the naysayers were asked to go elsewhere.
Regarding Teoscar, I think he’ll be back. In a Spanish language interview he said returning to the dodgers would be his priority. Let’s hope they come to a deal. He was a big part of our success and he seems to love it here.
Dodgerdad,
Your son is very good. You should be proud!
Leo Mazzone is a dinosaur! 😉
https://omny.fm/shows/the-kyle-bailey-show-podcast/the-kyle-bailey-show-leo-mazzone-40
The guy running this site, (Mark) accurately predicted this outcome the entire year. I didn’t have that level of confidence but it became obvious by the end of the regular season that this team could overcome adversity and win games.
I started gaming out games 6 and 7 when the Dodgers were down by 5. I was having flashbacks of the last 3 years. Then the Dodgers came up golden. Congratulations!
thanks mark!! i am extremely proud of him !
Appreciate your site, Mark.
Great season. Hey, LA finally gets a parade. How cool is that?
I hope the Dodgers bring back Walker back. Teo is impressive. The whole team was special.
Maybe this will end all the dumb criticism of Dave Roberts.
Looking forward to all the thoughts on putting together next year’s team.
The era comparison is skewed by the large number of unearned runs the Yankee’s gave up. They count, too.
Very curious to see how the team deals with starters next year. Without any moves the team already has on the projected 40:
Sheehan (mid-year return)
Frasso (Early season return)
Ohtani (probably on a 6 day rest scheme)
YY (6 day?)
Glasnow
Knack
Gonsolin
Miller
Clayton k (pending an option)
and it will be tough not to resign:
walker b
And that’s without Wrobo-cop, Casparius, and Grove who are further away.
and without Flahrety
The big lesson we should have learned for this sensational season is that our front office and management is pretty good. The forty man roster is crowded no question. Who are we going to keep and who are we going to let go. Very tough decisions. I would surmise that decisions have to depend on several factors such as is Rushing ready? Is Pages ready? Is Freeman ready? The Pitching staff, which rule 5 players are keeping which are going to be exposed. Hopefully we are able to trade a few for promising prospects or get upgrades in the pitching department or where the Dodgers feel they need to upgrade. I think the path will be shown on what they do with Teo, Barnes, Kike, etc. It’s time for Rushin, Pages, to become a major part of the organization or be traded. In Andrew we trust. B it that’s for them to figure out, us fans need to enjoy the moment. We have learned that what the accomplished this season isn’t a given.
‘The Dodgers will commemorate their World Series title on Friday with a parade in Downtown Los Angeles and a special ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium, the club announced on Wednesday night. Both events will be televised in their entirety on Spectrum SportsNet LA, local television channels and AM 570. Due to logistics, traffic and timing, fans will not be able to attend both events.
The parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. PT at Gloria Molina Grand Park on Spring Street in front of City Hall. Mayor Karen Bass will officially kick off the parade, which will then continue on a 45-minute route from 1st Street to Grand Avenue to 5th Street, culminating at the intersection of 5th and Flower Street, with members of the Dodgers traveling atop double-decker buses. Fans wishing to attend the parade are emphatically encouraged to take public transportation due to significant street closures and limited public parking”.
Watched High Heat with Alana Rizzo yesterday and she said one of players who put an asterisk on us winning the World Series in 2020 was Alex Verdugo and she was glad he made the last out last night. Verdugo is a punk and I never liked him and neither did Alexa Cora.
“A 60-game season, it’s still hard to judge to this day,” Verdugo said then. “Like yeah, it’s a World Series, right? Yeah, they got a ring. But they didn’t play any games at their home field. They didn’t. There weren’t any fans there. It was 60 games. Anyone could ball out for 60 games. That extra 102 is a big difference. They won it, it’s a true one, for what we call it. But I still call it as I see it, it’s still a 60-gamer.”
F Verdugo.
We got 2 rings now buddy how many you got????
And Ill never disparage 20. That was a special year as well.
I was in Texas at Game 1 and Game 2, and yeah it mattered A LOT. So F him.