LACE EM UP Sports
Almost a Dynasty: The Los Angeles Dodgers Ep. 4
Let's lay some up! "It's time for Dodger Baseball" "Time to be asked to put it up for the buzzer" "Banks it in! Haha!" "He banks in the dream!" "And the Lakers win the game!" "With a tear in my eye!" "This is the greatest moment in my life!" "She was wearing a strap on and she was plowing our neighbor by green wall and folks I do mean right in the ass! Fastball misses! Dust low, count goes for three and two!" Year after year, the Dodgers fell short of overcoming their 30-year-old drought. What else did the front office need to invest in? During the 2020 off-season, the front office decided to go all in and swing for the fences and trade for a sensational once-in-a-lifetime talent. The Dodgers traded top prospect Alex Verdugo along with Connor Wong and Jeter Downs for 2018 American League MVP, Mookie Betts. Right off the bat, Mookie became the savior for the Dodgers. Fans confidently referred to him as the key to getting over the hump and conquering the fall classic. For one whole season, the Dodgers would play one of the best ball players in right field. The sentiment felt across the city of Los Angeles quickly turned into fear that the city will never get to see Mookie don a Dodger jersey. On March 16, 2020, the league decided to cancel the rest of spring training and indefinitely postpone the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a time when the country needed the lifeblood that sports brings to people, society needed to figure out how to keep morale high during unprecedented times. After months of negotiation between the players Union and the league, they decided to report to spring training camp on July 1st. The season would be trimmed down to 60 games and started on July 23rd with no fans in attendance. Los Angeles would get a chance to see superstar Mookie Betts from a distance for at least 60 games. The day before the season started, the Dodgers announced a 12-year contract extension for Mookie Betts. The savior was here to stay. The Dodgers started the season with a 30-in-10 record, a record-time winning percentage in franchise history. The team gave the city of Los Angeles what it needed the most during this disrupted moment in time. Something to look forward to. The Dodgers became the only consistent aspect of the city of Los Angeles' life. The Dodgers reinstated the hope that it lost in isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Could this finally be the year? The Dodgers ended the season with a 43-in-17 record, the highest winning percentage of the post-1960 expansion era. They entered an extended postseason where they played an extra series due to a bargaining deal that started the season. Instead of winning 12 games to win the World Series, the Dodgers needed to win one extra game. After sweeping the Brewers and the Padres in the first two series of the postseason, the Dodgers met their biggest hurdle of the season in the Atlanta Braves. They lost their first game of October and fell into a hole through games to won. The Groundhog Loop seemed inevitable. Fans prepared to return to the bleak reality filled with uncertainties. The Dodgers' players had a text thread where they emphasized that they were on the verge of being part of an improbable team that is capable of doing things the league rarely sees. The Dodgers forced the game 7 where they came back from a 2-0 deficit and completed the comeback. The dream season had turned into an improbable year where the impossible took place. They returned to the World Series where they belonged to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Corey Seager turned into a playoff MVP leading the Dodgers to their first World Series in 22 years. Justin Turner solidified his place in the greatest of all times debate in October and fell from the grace of greatness after being on the field during the celebration after testing positive for COVID-19. Kershaw earned his last feat and conquered the baseball world, finally conquering his postseason demons. The drought was over and the championship became the most important win in franchise history. The Dodgers won the championship surrounded by uncertainties, chaos and uprising. The Dodgers showed their resilience by coming back three games to one and gave the city a championship during a year that was filled with fear and anxiety. Their victory turned a pandemic into a win.