The Dodgers are back in the World Series, after Los Angeles (NL) won the 2024 National League pennant. Their birth in the 2024 Fall Classic comes just 10 months after a wild offseason for the Dodgers, one that saw the franchise spent over $1.2B on Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Teoscar Hernandez, among others. Here’s a look at how the Dodgers got here.
Ohtani Makes a Difference
It was obvious from the onset but the Dodgers didn’t add Shohei Ohtani for the regular season. Rather, it was for one goal in mind: win in October.
Ohtani proved to be a thorn in the Mets’ backside the whole series. Despite seven strikeouts and struggling against Sean Manaea in Game 2, Ohtani cracked two monstrous shots in Citi Field and hit .364/.548/.636 in the NLCS. He also walked nine times.
One could argue Ohtani’s biggest accomplishment in the CS wasn’t even what he did at the plate but rather what he didn’t. The Mets respected Ohtani and the Dodgers’ bats, perhaps a little too much. Dodgers hitters walked 42 times over the six games, as Mets pitchers fell behind far too much in the series against a dangerous team.
Then, there was the trickle-down effect. Mookie Betts, who batted behind Ohtani in the series, notched nine hits over the six games. Seven of those hits came when Ohtani was on base. Max Muncy, who was shuttled up and down the lineup amidst an ankle injury for Freddie Freeman, blasted two home runs and walked 11 times.
It wasn’t just Ohtani doing the damage. But, he certainly got things going.
Savvy Pickups from the 2024 Trade Deadline
While Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez, free agent pickups last winter, played pivotal roles for the Dodgers’ offense in the NLDS and NLCS, Los Angeles picked up depth in the summer that put the cherry on top.
Tommy Edman won the NLCS MVP after a standout series against the Mets, as he batted .407/.393/.630 with a home run and 11 RBI.
Not all the balls we hit were burners. Although, he got a hold of one in Game 6 off Sean Manaea that gave Los Angeles a 4-1 lead in the third, two innings after he got a two-run double.
Edman came over in the same three-way deal that netted the Dodgers hard-throwing righty Michael Kopech. While Kopech didn’t have a sharp series — he overthrew a lot in Game 6 and gave up a run over two frames — he was one of many Dodgers relievers Dave Roberts used throughout the series. We’ll get more into that in a second.
The other big piece who came over to LA in July was Jack Flaherty. Flaherty got shelled in Game 5, as he gave up eight runs over three innings five days after he tossed seven scoreless frames. His velocity was down significantly in the latter start, as he was hitting around 90-91 MPH with the four-seamer and 87-88 with the two-seamer.
Flaherty said he was sick, a plausible explanation.
While he wasn’t sharp during Game 5, his start in Game 1 was massive for the Dodgers. The Dodgers are without several key arms, including Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, and Tony Gonsolin. And considering the restrictions on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles will need Flaherty to come through once more.
A Different Pitching Strategy
As noted in the last section, the Dodgers’ pitching staff has been decimated by injuries. Thus, Dave Roberts deployed his bullpen liberally, with a twist.
Aside from bulk pitchers like Ben Casparius and Landon Knack, starters by trade but used out of the pen, Roberts primarily had his relievers go one inning max, as opposed to trying to get four, five, or even six outs, against the Mets. During the NLCS, only Casparius, Edgardo Henriquez, and Blake Treinen picked up five or more outs during their four wins.
It was a different strategy compared to the Mets, who tried to get length from their arms to mixed success.
Yes, the Dodgers did get length from an unheralded source through the NLCS. Brent Honeywell Jr., a former top pitcher prospect turned journeyman reliever, threw three scoreless frames in Game 2 to keep the Dodgers in it. He threw 4.2 more in Game 5, although he gave up four runs in garbage time.
Nonetheless, Honeywell Jr. managed to keep Los Angeles’ bullpen fresh.
The other notable piece of information from the NLCS was the Dodgers’ usage of openers. Los Angeles went with openers twice, as the Dodgers used Walker Buehler and Yamamoto once.
It was expected that the Dodgers weren’t going to deviate from their strategy of keeping Yamamoto on five days rest. However, Buehler’s Game 3 performance has to make the Dodgers feel better. Buehler picked up 18 whiffs during Game 3, the most in a game for him all year. His previous high was 14, set on September 21 against the Rockies.
What to Expect from the Dodgers in the Fall Classic
The Dodgers are four wins away from their first World Series title since 2020. And for the first time in over 40 years, the Dodgers will take on the Yankees.
As we noted in our look at the Yankees’ run to the AL pennant, this will be a test for the Dodgers’ pitching staff. The Yankees were best in the league in avoiding chases out of the zone, a strength for Flaherty and Yamamoto. But as a whole, the Dodgers’ pitching staff ranked 23rd in Chase% (27.7%).
Many of Los Angeles’ pitchers rely heavily on command and jamming hitters with movement. Like, for example, Blake Treinen’s two-seamer and Evan Phillips‘ cutter. Thus, the game inside the game will be how Dodgers relievers will be able to get the Yankees’ big bats off balance.
As for the Dodgers’ bats, the Yankees only have one left-handed starter (Carlos Rodon) who will likely start for New York (AL) in the World Series. The rest, assuming Nestor Cortes won’t start a game, are righties.
It is worth noting in the regular season that the Dodgers hit better against lefties (.795 OPS) than righties (.776). The Dodgers have several right-handed bats — Betts, Enrique and Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman — who can hit lefties well.
Ohtani, on the other hand, struggled with Manaea in the NLCS but Rodon is a very different pitcher, one who doesn’t have that crossfire delivery but rather one with a power fastball, curve, and slider.
Lastly, what will happen with Freddie Freeman? Freeman hit .167/.211/.167 in the NLCS and didn’t play in two games as he deals with a sprained ankle. Manager Dave Roberts said his swing wasn’t right amidst the injury, hence why he was held out in Game 6. But, this is the World Series, Injury and all, it’s tough to keep a star like Freeman out of the lineup on a stage like this.
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