World Series 2024: By winning the World Series, the Dodgers prove that they are not only the most talented but also the strongest team in the MLB

NEW YORK – The Los Angeles Dodgers roster has not been lacking in immense talent since their last World Series win in 2020. In fact, they have continued to grow in recent years, spending in the billions of dollars this past offseason. But while LA has been one of, if not the, most talented MLB teams on paper for some time, something was missing. During their 12 straight postseason appearances, the Dodgers often lacked a certain kind of grit or toughness to carry them to the top.

However, the 2024 Dodgers have shown time and again this season and throughout the postseason that they are not the same team. They're stronger, tougher, better and that's why they're now World Series champions.

“It's just a special group of guys,” Dodgers first baseman and World Series MVP Freddie Freeman said after the team clinched the title with a 7-6 win in Game 5 on Wednesday.

New York had momentum after a blowout win in Game 4. And after the Bronx Bombers built a 5-0 lead in the third inning on Wednesday, it looked like the Dodgers would return to LA for Game 6. No team has ever done that, took a 3-0 lead in a World Series and then got pushed into Game 6, leaving the Dodgers on the verge of unfavorable history and a lot of pressure. With LA's offense faltering against Yankees star Gerrit Cole and the bullpen needing 23 outs after starter Jack Flaherty lasted just 1⅓ innings the night after a particular bullpen game, the battle was tough.

This wasn't the first time this October that the Dodgers found themselves with their backs against the wall and momentum not on their side. They were battle-hardened and ready for this moment.

When the Dodgers fell to the Padres in the NLDS in a hostile environment at Petco Park, they needed similar determination. When few thought they had enough to fight back, they did – not only forcing a win-or-go-home Game 5, but winning it to advance to the NLCS.

And when the Dodgers needed to be resilient in Game 5 of the World Series, they were able to put their toughness to good use once again. LA's offense woke up in the fifth inning, thanks in large part to terrible Yankees defense while loading the bases. With back-to-back RBI singles from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers cut the deficit to 5-3. Then Teoscar Hernández delivered the big blow, smashing a two-run double into the gap in left field, scoring Betts and Freeman and tying the game at 5-0.

“Gerrit threw the ball great,” Freeman said. “He threw the ball great the entire time. When Mookie showed up and beat the Squibber and was able to defeat him, you could just feel the excitement. … I caught one right there and I was able to foul him, see another next throw and, luckily, hit the ball up the middle. And then thanks to Teo. Right-on-right against Gerrit Cole is a very difficult shot to get into the gap like he did.

“When you get extra outs and capitalize in a game like that, it’s huge. So that we evened it out, you could just feel the momentum building.”

Within minutes, the momentum that had seemingly left the Dodgers was back on their side. They continued that in Game 8 when they scored twice to take the lead of the game for the first time against Yankees closer Luke Weaver, who dominated the Dodgers in Game 4 and had been virtually unbeatable all postseason.

What made the Dodgers the best team in baseball this year en route to their second World Series title in five years wasn't just that they had more talent than other teams (although they did). Most years, the team with the best record in baseball doesn't win the World Series; This only happened twice in the previous 10 seasons.

No, these Dodgers were simply tougher than the 29 other teams. And from the start of the season, it seemed like nothing would stop her from her ultimate goal. They faced every hurdle, distraction, inconvenience and injury head on. LA could have fallen off the rails in many places, but this team refused to be turned away in the search for greatness.

When the team began the season in South Korea against the Padres, there was a bang. Prized free agent acquisition Shohei Ohtani was caught up in a federal gambling investigation through his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. But despite the increasing media attention, speculation and FBI investigation, Ohtani and the Dodgers didn't miss a beat. The Dodgers' $700 million man had one of the best seasons in baseball history and will win the NL MVP in a few weeks.

“I think we were able to get through the regular season because of the strength of this team and this organization,” Ohtani said after the Dodgers’ win in Game 5. “And the success of the postseason is close to what we did in the regular season similar.”

“When you start, like we did, supporting a teammate in their first year to go out and have the best season ever, I think – pretty special,” Freeman said.

Added to this were the injuries that plagued the Dodgers from the start of the season through the end of the World Series, most notably Ohtani, who remained in the lineup despite a shoulder injury. Losing a player of Mookie Betts' caliber for two months would be enough to knock the best teams out of the game. Now try putting an entire rotation — including Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Tyler Glasnow and River Ryan — on the injured list. No matter, the Dodgers finished the regular season with 98 wins.

“We've been through a lot, but I have to say we still had the best record in all of baseball this year,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It wasn’t easy, but our boys really fought and played every day to win.”

“We had a lot to do this year and that definitely made it more challenging,” Dodgers President Andrew Friedman said. “But it was also, I think, a huge asset to our scouts, our player development team and our major league coaching staff because so many people came in and contributed and played a big role in where we are now .”

“It is difficult. It's hard to get to this point. It’s hard to withstand the things that can happen over the course of a season.”

Cut to October, and Freeman's sprained right ankle limited him in the first two rounds of the playoffs, an undermanned rotation did its best to keep things going, and the bullpen was firing on all cylinders. But when the Dodgers needed their best, it was there. The team even received surprising contributions from players like Walker Buehler, who, after a rocky return from injury this season, threw five shutout innings in Game 3 and closed out the deciding Game 5 by earning his first career save, which could have been His final appearance as a Dodger leaves an impression on LA that will last a lifetime.

The 2020 championship wasn't far away for Buehler at the Dodgers' post-game celebration. He was clearly tired of hearing some delegitimize this pandemic-shortened season.

“Everyone is talking shit about 2020. But they can’t say much about it now,” he said.

Now the Dodgers are back on top of the baseball world. That's a stark contrast to the situation a year ago, when they were embarrassed in a win against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. Unlike that team, this group of Dodgers believed that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts – even with so many expensive parts. All 26 players, the coaches, the manager and the front office believed they could not be beaten.

“One thing is we just kept going,” Roberts said. “Even in the postseason, I don’t think anyone picked us. I don't think they chose us to come out of the first series. The fact that we went out in October, fought, fought and fought and won 11 games is a credit to our boys.”