In their long history, the Dodgers have had 33 winning streaks of 10 games or more. 22 of those came in Brooklyn. The longest MLB streak ever is 26 games, accomplished by the New York Giants in 1916. It started on September 7th with a 4-1 win over the Brooklyn Robins. It ended on September 30th with an 8-3 loss to the Braves.
The Giants did not win the pennant that year, Brooklyn did. Longest streak in the AL is 22, set in 2017 by the Cleveland Indians. The Indians did not win the pennant either. They lost to the Yankees in the ALDS. They had the most wins in the AL that year with 102.
They had passed the White Sox of 1880 and the Cubs of 1935. The A’s had a 20 game winning streak in 2002. For the Dodgers, their longest streak came in 1924 when the Robins won 15 in a row.
The longest streak by a team named the Dodgers came over two years, 54-55 when they ran off 14 straight wins. 10 of those wins came at the beginning of 1955 when the Dodgers started off 10-0.
The LA Dodgers longest streak came in 1962 and was repeated in 1965. 13 games. In 62, the streak started on May 21 with a 8-1 win over the Giants by Sandy Koufax.
It ended with a 7-0 loss to Dennis Bennett and the Phillies. In ’65 it started on September 16th with a 2-0 win over the Cubs by Claude Osteen. It ended with a 2-0 loss to Denny Lemaster and the Braves.
This streak helped the Dodgers win the 1965 pennant. They were 4.5 games out of first place when it started, and up 2 games when it ended. They won their last two after the loss and won the pennant by two games.
It was probably the most important streak in Dodger history to that time. The game time of their last game that year? 2.01. Not many played that fast anymore.
Brooklyn had two other pennant winning years where they reeled off 13 wins, 47 and 53. They had another 13 straight over 2 seasons, 39-40. 9 of those wins came at the beginning of the 1940 season.
The streak in 47 started on July 21st with a 7-1 win over the Reds by Vic Lombardi. It ended on August 1st with a 10-8 loss to the Cubs. Hugh Casey was the losing pitcher.
53’s streak started on August 7th with a 9-4 Podres win over the Reds, and ended on August 21st with a 7-1 Podres loss to the Pirates. That team also had a 10 game winning streak in May. The 55 team surpassed their 10 game streak to start the season with an 11 game run at the end of April and into May.
Walter Alston’s last Dodger team won 12 in a row in 1976. Dave Roberts’ 2022 team matched that. The LA Dodgers have had four seasons, 93, 06, 17 and 23 where they won 11 in a row.
They have also had four teams win 10 in a row, 80, 03, 13 and 17. The 2017 Dodgers are the only LA team to have two streaks of 10 or more in a single season. Only the 53 and 55 teams have also done that.
Streaks are fun. It is great to see the team go on a run and either open distance between them and the other teams or close the gap. Last season the Dodgers had their best August ever. They went 24-4. The last Dodger team to do that was in Brooklyn in the 50’s. Needless to say, but in August, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman were almost unstoppable.
I hope we see more of the same in 24!
Streaks are fun. What would the film “Moneyball” be without the A’s fantastic streak?
Speaking of streaking, should the Dodgers do more running in ’24? (Apologies for the bad transition.)
Mlb.com has a feature naming 10 players who should run more in ’24. James Outman is on the list. The report:
“The Dodgers’ stolen base leader in 2023 was Freddie Freeman, which is a pretty fun fact, but probably also means some of the younger, faster Dodgers could be running a little more. Outman is a prime candidate. (Mookie Betts seems like he’d be one, too, since he only stole 14 bases last year … But he also seems like he wants to take some of the load off his legs, as evidenced by his move from right field to second base, so we’re not going to demand he return to his 30-steal days.)
Outman, Los Angeles’ 26-year-old center fielder, has very good speed (28.9 ft/sec sprint speed, seven bolts), showed good base-stealing acumen as a rookie (16 steals, only three caught stealings) and is a good enough hitter (112 OPS+) that he should be on base with opportunities to run. Outman’s power-speed combo (23 homers with his 16 steals) pushed him to a third-place Rookie of the Year finish. With a little more running, he’s in the 20-20 club.”
It is a bit strange Freddie led the team in steals. And he probably would have had more if he hadn’t hit 59 doubles.
The ’24 Dodgers have so much power that I don’t think there will be much stealing. But some opportunistic theft would be nice. And it’s not hard to can imagine Margot entering late into a one-run game run for Max.
Something that I think has been overlooked: the ’24 Dodgers are A LOT faster than the ’23 edition.
Ohtani, likely to bat 2nd or 3rd, is one of the fastest players in the game–and JDM has apparently become too slow to play LF.
Both Teoscar and Margot are very fast–and they have basically replaced the aging,not-fast David Peralta.
Even on a repaired knee, young Gavin Lux is presumably faster than Miguel Rojas. (A rebuilt ACL didn’t slow Acuna down.)
These ’24 Dodgers may not need to steal as much simply because they’ll be taking the extra base so often.
Should be fun.
Even with all of the power potential this team has, there will be times when they might need to manufacture a run. They have the guys who can do that. I think Outman will have at least 20 bags this year. Lux, if he stays healthy should be able to match that. Freddie gets steals because he is one of the smartest players on the basepath’s in either league.
The Giants are allegedly signing Jordon Hicks and turning him into a starter.
Fun article Bear. During this incredible playoff seasonal streak, August has been our winning month. I’m just guessing but maybe April and September have been our worst? Anyway what a great time to be a Dodger fan. Lets just put a cherry on the cake with a 24 WS win!
And then fire Robert’s! 😂
Roberts has two more years. He has to win at least one more. Then we could talk. Three is the magic number. Four shuts up Giants fans for life.
If the Dodgers don’t win in 2024, Roberts is gone. Right or wrong… he would be a lame duck, and I can’t see them extending him. The fans would revolt.
agree 100%.Do or die for Roberts. And rightfully so.
I know, I know, best regular season record n history, rah, rah ,rah. Titles are what count in the end.
Everyone should ask himself the question: Would you rather have missed the playoffs 3-4 times during Roberts run altogether but won 2 more titles instead ? And yes, it probably should have been one more title anyway in 2017 if not for those cheaters from Houston.
For me personally the titles are that would count more. The regular season is a grind and I find myself getting less and less interested in those games. Especially with the demoralizing experience how the Dodgers and there humiliating display have been ousted in postseason play way too often.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
The statistical probability of winning a World Series is so much higher than ever that if you use Championships as the barometer, you will be more disappointed. The statistical model that we all grew up understanding and believing is now dead. We can embrace it or not, but that is just fact.
You are absolutely spot on with your reference to the statistical probability. That is what makes the 162 game regular season more and more irrelevant and boring. At least to me. There was a time when I watched just about every inning of every game . Not any more. More and more I find myself watching only the condensed game feature or the highlights on MLB . Tv.
IMHO to be succesful in the postseason and winning titles you need as much top end talent as you can get. Great depth usually will bring you a lot of wins during the regular season while top end talent more likely will get you postseason success. The trap fall is injuries with this approach.
I like the Dodgers current approach a lot. Bringing in Othani and Yamamoto, Glasnow and Hernandez they improved their top end talent level significantly. this hopefully will pay dividends in the postseason if those players reach their potential and stay healthy. Our farm system is good enough to still supply depth for the regular season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that there will have to be some creative approaches to this in the future. One hundred sixty-two games mean very little… right about now.
3 Top End Starters, My own opinion
What’s your lineup, Bear?
Mine against right-hand:
Mookie
Freddie
Shohei
Smith
Max
Outman
Teoscar
Heyward
Lux
Against lefties:
Mookie
Freddie
Shohei
Teoscar
Smith
Max/Taylor
Outman
Margot/Taylor
Lux/Rojas
My rationale:
–Mookie bats leadoff. If it ain’t broke…
–Some people think Shohei should bat second–not a bad idea–but I prefer keeping Mookie and Freddie together. Freddie is the team’s best pure hitter in terms of BA,while Shohei looms with the scary power. He might have slightly more RBI opportunities batting third.
–Teoscar was brought in as a lefty killer who is also OK against righthanded pitching. So let’s have him bat cleanup against lefties. Against righties, he drops to slot 7th between Outman and Heyward, in part for that L/R rhythm that Roberts likes.
–Outman’s fine rookie season earns him a promotion against righties, with his power playing well in the 6th spot over his mentor Heyward. (Last season Roberts tended to bat Peralta ahead of Outman perhaps because of the rookie’s high K rate.) Against lefties, Outman is more of a contact hitter with a good .350 OBP; he could bat 7th, 8th or 9th. Outman can certainly improve against lefties, just like Belli did last season. (No need for a full-time platoon if he keeps getting on base.)
–Lux resumes his role batting 9th as the “second leadoff hitter” with a good on-base percentage, setting up Mookie and Freddie.
–Taylor stays fresh by occasionally easing Max’s load at 3B while also rotating into RF. An injury could press him into full-time duty at a couple of positions. Rojas eases Lux’s load on occasion while also serving as a late-inning defensive replacement. Margot can give Outman the occasional day off.
The Dodgers certainly seem good to go, but I suspect more signficant deals are in the works.
I kind of think the lineup will be pretty consistent
Betts
Freeman
Ohtani
Smith
Muncy
Hernandez
Outman
Heyward
Lux
Hernandez moves up to 4 when Smith is out. Margot and Taylor platoon with Heyward depending on matchups. I think Rojas and Taylor will get plenty of playing time at short and third as I think they will go slowly with Lux. I don’t think Lux will play more than 2 or 3 days in a row to begin the season. Just like Buehler they don’t need Lux early they need him in October. I would hope Betts, Freeman and Ohtani would get scheduled days off so they are free in October also. Outman will not be platooned but I could se more time off for him against tough lefties. Lots of options available to keep everyone fresh for October.
Looks good to me.
I think the plan is for Heyward to definitely play in a platoon, One possibility is for Teoscar from LF to RF against lefties, since Teoscar has such a good arm. I think it’s important to keep the bench guys–Taylor, Margot, Rojas– active and fresh…. But I’d love to see 160 games from Mookie, Freddie and Shohei.
Freeman and Ohtani in the 2 hole are a tossup, but Freeman actually has better numbers there. But you want your best hitter in the 3 hole usually, and that is Freddie. I think you could flip them easily. Depending on how things play out, I would put the big power guy, Hernandez, in the cleanup spot and leave him. With Smith hitting in the 5 hole as a second cleanup guy. I would sit Max against the better lefties, but we also know Smith is going to get some days off. Depending on who actually becomes the backup, that will decide their spot in the lineup. I think we will see in spring where Doc plans to hit Lux. I do like him in the 9 spot as sort of a second leadoff man. He is still one of the faster players on the team.
Bear
have you done a Ron Perranoski article or did I miss what you posted on LADT ?
Hey Thomas, I did one over there, but like the Howard article, I can find it and redo it a little for posting here.
I did the story right after Perry died in 2020. I will redo it for you.
Thank you sir
When you do it, I will share some Ron Perranoski stories. I talked to him quite a bit at Vero and early on at Camelback Ranch. I got to know him pretty well. Some of the things I did not want to share while he was alive.
The other day the Braves signed their head of baseball operations, Alex Anthopoulos to a seven-year extension. He is signed through the 2031 season. In his 6 seasons at the helm, the Braves have won 6 division titles. They have won one pennant and one World Series. Pretty good. But they, like the Dodgers, have been knocked out in the first round the last two seasons. Yet it is the Dodgers who are more highly criticized as failures than the Braves. In AF’s tenure, they have won one World Series, lost two others, and won the division every year but one. The Braves had the most wins in the majors last season and lost the NLDS 3-1 to the Phillies. They have lost in the division series four of the six years he has been at the helm. The two times they made it to the NLCS they have played the Dodgers. They lost the first one in 7 and won the second in 6 to a Dodger team that limped into the playoffs that season losing not only Max Muncy, but Scherzer, and Kershaw. So why all the vitriol against the Dodgers? Sorry, it makes no sense to me. Winning every year is impossible. Winning two in a row is almost as hard.
Anthopolous has been fantastic with the Braves. Not only has he won 6 divisions in 6 years, but the team he took over had won only 72 and 68 games the two years prior to him taking over. He took a losing team and turned them into a 6 time division winner and World Series winner. And the roster he has built is young and under contract for multiple years at most positions. He has done a good job signing his young players to long term deals early, and he expects his players to play every day without platoons.
In terms of why the Dodgers seem to be more highly criticized, part of it is the market size and the stars on the Dodgers. Also, the Braves won a WS more recently and in a full season. And the Dodgers have had bad playoff losses to underdogs in the last 4 full seasons. The Braves also lost to the Phillies the last 2 years who are star studded and built for the playoffs which made them less of an underdog against Atlanta.
Of all the pitchers the Dodgers have faced over the years, and this includes some Hall of Famers, only one ever beat them five times, all by shutout. He was not a Hall of Famer, nor even that good. His career mark was 35-33 with an ERA of 3.65. The year was 1966. Larry Jaster, a left-handed starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, went 5-0 vs LA in 66. He beat Drysdale and Osteen twice each, and Sutton for his fifth win. He was 6-5 vs the rest of the league. His nickname was appropriately, Dodger Killer.
Ah yes, Larry Jaster the Dodgers Master. It was the damnedest thing. Like you said he didn’t have much success with anyone else. I wondered how can the Dodgers lose to a pitcher like that so many times. Then I realized we’re talking about the Dodgers.
Here is a scouting metric used for Michael Busch, that could be some insight from other clubs as to why Busch may not have been valued as high as some would have hoped. Take it for what it is worth. Could certainly turn it around this year.
Here is a twitter post for the 19 year old LHP the Dodgers got back in the trade, Jackson Ferris. This was his final game for 2023.
Here are two twitter posts for 19 (next week) OF/P Zyhir Hope. One hitting and one pitching. The pitching is from high school.
Good stuff, Jeff. I read it elsewhere but Ferris’ delivery has a finish like Rich Hill’s.
Take a look at his left leg as he finishes the pitch. This is where he looks like Rich Hill. Ferris throws a lot harder than Hill. He is still a baby at 19, but he shows a lot of promise. And he is already #5 in the LAD top 30. He could be a top 100 guy by the end of the season.
1. Stay healthy
2. Listen to coaches and learn the system
3. Improve and advance
One goes Hollywood, while the other represents the Dodgers as he drops the puck on Dodger Night with the Kings.
At this point wouldn’t be to surprised ending up with Hader. Having Freddie mookie and Ohtani around would assume make him a better teammate as opposed to toxic padres and sure be a hard team to beat in October if everyone is heathy
Hader is not coming to Los Angeles. The reason is simple. And I have said this more than once. Hader has a QO attached. If the Dodgers signed him they would lose two more draft picks, making them lose 2-3-5-6. They already lost two because of Ohtani. AF is not going to that.