Dodgers Win 9th NL West Crown in 10 Years

The Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the Arizona Diamondback 6-0 to clinch the NL West earning their 9th division title in 10 years. Clayton Kershaw tossed 7 shutout innings while Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Joey Gallo each homered.

The Dodgers have an astounding 20.5 game lead over the San Diego Padres who will likely clinch one of the three NL Wild Card berths. On June 22nd, the Dodgers and Padres were tied for the division lead. Since then, the Dodgers have gone 56-18 while the Padres have gone 34-37 over the same period.

At 98-43, the Dodgers are very likely to eclipse their franchise record of 106 wins set in 2019 and matched in 2021. Despite those 106 wins last year, the Dodgers had to settle for a NL Wild Card berth as the San Francisco Giants unexpectedly won 107 games. The Dodgers also have an outside shot at eclipsing the single season record for wins. The 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners each won 116 games though notably neither team went on to win the World Series.

Under MLB's new playoff format, the Dodgers will automatically get a bye in the first round. They will have six days off from the end of the regular season to the beginning of the NLDS. That is the one thing that could put the Dodgers at a disadvantage especially if they end up facing a team on a hot streak. Otherwise, the Dodgers are going to be heavy favorites to win their second World Series title in three years.