After winning 100 games in the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers were shockingly eliminated without winning a single game in the postseason.
The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-4, in Game 3 of the 2023 Major League Baseball National League Division Series at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, on April 12. The Dodgers, who lost Games 1 through 3 of the best-of-five division series, were eliminated.
It’s a shocking exit. The Dodgers had won 100 games in the regular season this year and were considered one of the favorites to win the World Series. But in fall baseball, they fell apart. After falling three games to one to the San Diego Padres in the Division Series last year, the Dodgers were swept by Arizona without a win this year.
The moment the Dodgers were eliminated, the player who received the most attention was the 210-win legend Clayton Kershaw. While it’s true that Kershaw’s six-run outing in Game 1 sparked a three-game losing streak for Arizona, it wasn’t the only reason the Dodgers were eliminated.
The Dodgers had too much firepower. Just look at Game 3 of the Division Series. The Dodgers only scored two runs against Arizona. They only scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning after falling behind 0-4. The lack of production from their number one and two hitters was painful. Dodgers leadoff hitter Mookie Betts went 0-for-4, as did No. 2 hitter Freddie Freeman, who also went 0-for-4.
This year’s Major League Baseball postseason can be summarized in one word: upset. In addition to the 100-win Dodgers, the 101-win Baltimore Orioles and the 104-win Atlanta Braves also bowed their heads in the division series.
“Star players didn’t play like star players,” CBS Sports noted on Thursday as one of the reasons for the back-to-back setbacks for the 100-win teams.
For the Dodgers in particular, Betts and Freeman’s struggles have been crucial. The Dodgers’ table-setters had a shocking slump in the Division Series, batting .048 with a .167 on-base percentage and .048 slugging percentage in 24 at-bats. Home runs and RBIs were notably absent.
Betts is one of the favorites for National League MVP this year. That’s because he had a tremendous regular season. In 152 games, Betts exploded for a .307 batting average, .408 on-base percentage, and .579 slugging percentage with 39 home runs, 107 RBI, and 14 doubles. Betts’ 39 home runs broke the single-season record for most home runs by an individual, surpassing the 35 he hit last year. It was also his first 100-RBI season in six years, after hitting 102 in 2017 with the Boston Red Sox. 안전놀이터
Freeman also played in 161 games, batting .331 with a .410 on-base percentage, .567 slugging percentage, 29 home runs and 102 RBIs, while leading the National League in doubles for the second straight year with 59.
These are players who command a hefty price tag. Betts.