Here we are again. Another Dodgers season in the books, another NL West crown, and another ticket punched to the postseason. But let’s be real, every step of the way has been shaky. If you have been keeping up, you know this was a season that tested both the roster and the fans’ patience (especially mine). A true rollercoaster where you go from joy to frustration in the span of a week. Now, we’re staring down October with all the usual hope and nerves that come with it.
But, it would be a disservice if we recapped the season without stating the obvious: Shohei Ohtani. With his sophomore year in Dodger blue, he gave us a season for the ages. Fifty-five home runs, highlight after highlight, and the kind of presence at the plate that made you stop whatever you were doing just to watch his at-bat. He’s not just good; he is historic. And watching Ohtani alongside Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who continued to be the steady veterans that hold everything together, made the Dodgers lineup look unfair on plenty of nights. Add in Yoshinobu Yamamoto proving himself as an ace, and these are the stretches where this team looked every bit like the powerhouse we all expected when the season began.
Unfortunately, the narrative that follows, make the lows hard to ignore. Injuries piled up with Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, Michael Kopech, and other players spending too much time on the IL. Depth pieces were constantly shuffled, and while young arms like Landon Knack gave a glimmer of hope, the cracks showed. The biggest frustration though, came from the bullpen. How many times did we watch a lead evaporate in the late innings? Tanner Scott was supposed to be the stabilizer after being acquired to close out games, but he’s clearly not as reliable as he used to be. I caught myself during the season questioning why they’re called relief when I was not relieved every time they stepped on the mound. A lot of people are blaming Roberts, but truly, every single pitcher that Roberts could have used would have left us in the same situation; the bullpen just can’t do the job they’ve been hired to do: get outs. And if the Dodgers lose in October, this bullpen will be the first to be picked apart if they don’t figure it out quickly.
Then you have Clayton Kershaw, giving us all the baseball romance. To witness his 3,000 strikeouts game was special and I cried like we had just won the World Series. Dodger Stadium stood a little taller that night, applauded a little longer, and savored every moment of his pitches. Who knew just a few months later, this would be good-bye for our ace? Kershaw has been a fortress for our team for years and his career has been nothing short of legendary: an MVP, three Cy Young Awards, two World Series titles, and countless memories that shaped an entire generation of Dodger fans. His postseason heartbreaks, his no-hitter, his signature curveball — it’s all part of the story. This season wasn’t about adding to the numbers; it was about appreciation. Watching him take his final bows felt bittersweet, like we were witnessing the closing chapters of a book we never wanted to end. Finishing the season in Seattle, we all saw a legend walk off that mound and collectively acknowledged his legacy will live on long after that final out.
So now, here we are, walking into postseason October with a mix of emotions. Riding off nostalgia and gratitude, we are confronted with nerves and doubt. Our starting rotation is stacked, our lineup is loaded, our bullpen is starting to catch their footing – but will it be enough? Do our boys have enough heart for the game to execute? Can they win us another one? Can they send off Kershaw with his final ring? The answer: ABSOLUTELY. October in Los Angeles just hits different and when we are up against a wall, we always come back swinging. Let’s go get us nine.
