The Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up the National League West division title on Thursday night with a 7-2 win over the San Diego Padres. The win guarantees at least a first-round bye to the NLDS and gives Los Angeles the edge for the top seed in the NL. It is the 23rd NL West title for the Dodgers since divisional play began in 1969.
NL WEST CHAMPS! pic.twitter.com/CsLzs6bhMI
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 27, 2024
Dodgers Win 2024 NL West Title
The game started off slow, with Dodgers starter Walker Buehler and Padres starter Jake Musgrove putting up zeroes for the first four innings. The Padres took a 2-0 lead with some small ball. They scored on an RBI groundout from Luis Arráez in the fifth and a Xander Bogaerts sac fly in the sixth. However, the Dodgers answered back with a vengeance in the seventh. Will Smith hit a two-run homer to tie it. Then, Kiké Hernández scored the go-ahead run on an error following a Shohei Ohtani single. Mookie Betts tacked on with a two-run single to make it 5-2. Rookie Andy Pages put the icing on the cake with a two-run bomb to left in the eighth. New closer Michael Kopech shut the door in the ninth to preserve the win.
The Dodgers have been the class of the NL West for the better part of a decade. Despite the run of October glory by the San Francisco Giants in the early 2010s, Los Angeles has won the division in 11 of the last 12 seasons. However, they only have one title to show for it, in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. After much postseason disappointment, the pressure will be on for them to win their first World Series in a full season since 1988. They are still battling it out with the Philadelphia Phillies, who just wrapped up the NL East this week, for the league’s top record. This would give them home-field advantage through at least the NLCS and perhaps the World Series (if they finish with MLB’s top record).
Photo Credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
