Blue Harvest

By Peyton Schultze

The final piece to the puzzle? Superstar outfielder Mookie Betts let out a howl into the night after a late game home run to help the Dodgers win their first title since 1988 (via The New York Times).

“Roll down the window, put down the top
Crank up the Beach Boys, baby
Don't let the music stop
We're gonna ride it till
We just can't ride it no more”

As it turns out, maybe Randy Newman said it best when talking about which wave of momentum to keep riding for as long as possible. The song that played over and over again through so many regular season wins, and all-too-tight playoff games, over the past decade finally made its return appearance to the grand stage of a close-out game in the World Series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers captured their first world championship since Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser, and the Dodgers won it all way back in 1988. Sure, it may have not come in the ideal scenario inside Dodger Stadium on a crisp October night surrounded by the majestic San Gabriel Mountains, but one of sports’ most recognizable franchises finally captured the ultimate glory in the final game of the season for the first time in thirty-two seasons. From Dave Roberts’ surgical maneuvers within his own bullpen to Mookie Betts’ back-breaking solo home run in the bottom of the 8th inning, it took every ounce of grit and determination from a Dodger team marked by so much heartbreak and adversity for the better part of the past ten years to overcome every obstacle in sight on their way to a World Series win.

It took every single player and member of the organization to finally come out on top, especially after eighteen intense playoff games full of spectacular catches and clutch hits (via KTLA).

Where do you start with this team? Do you talk about the dominance of Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and Julio Urías all year long? Do you mention the official arrival of World Series MVP Corey Seager to the discussion among the league’s best players? Do you mention the role that the Houston Astros played in the Dodgers’ redemption tour in 2020? Do you even talk about how the Dodgers’ prior postseason failures got them to this point, with a chance to finally take all of that pressure off their shoulders? Well, all certainly have a strong role to be mentioned soon enough, but the story of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers begins with a certain event made back in February of this year that changed the course of the franchise for the next decade.

In acquiring one of the game’s top two players in right-fielder Mookie Betts, the Dodgers found themselves in a position for a win-now scenario in 2020 since Mookie was scheduled to hit the free agency market in the upcoming winter. He appeared to be all of the answers to the Dodgers’ problems: a player who could hit for power, play the outfield, and run the bases at a higher level than nearly any other player in all of baseball. But that all came to a sudden halt when the baseball season was officially stopped near the end of Spring Training back in March due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Wiping out the entire sports landscape in a matter of seconds, the Dodgers and their fans had real fears over whether they would ever see the magnificent right-fielder ever suit up in that iconic Dodger uniform in a world full of so much uncertainty.

As it turns out, they would. Right after the league agreed to shorten the regular season with a resumption of the season and a sixty game schedule, Betts signed the largest contract in Dodger history with a 12-year, $365 million dollar contract that figures to keep the All-Star in Dodger blue for the rest of his career. Betts instantly became a standout player worth every penny of his massive deal, putting up MVP numbers in the regular season with a .292 average, 16 home runs, and 39 RBIs in 55 games played. And that doesn’t even consider his spectacular defense that showed up every single night, which should be rewarded with the fifth Gold Glove of his career in several weeks or so.

But as great as Betts’ regular season was, and it was truly phenomenal since he will surely be receiving some NL MVP votes, the 2020 postseason was when the rest of the league was officially able to recognize the pure greatness of Mookie Betts as the centerpiece of one of the most famous teams in sports. The absolute difference maker for the Dodgers throughout the playoffs, Betts was spectacular as the Dodgers’ lethal leading man in the lineup and as an airplane propeller on the bases, best seen in his key dash and slide into home plate as the run that gave Los Angeles the lead in Game 6 of the World Series. Yet the 2020 Dodgers’ iconic highlight reel will be full of Betts’ absolutely ridiculous defense, as highlighted in Games 5, 6, and 7 of the NLCS versus the Atlanta Braves. With the Dodgers down in a 3-1 hole to the upstart Braves, Betts’ crucial catch in Game 5 changed the entire outlook of the Dodgers’ season in the blink of an eye and gave them all of the hope they needed for the rest of the postseason.

The shocking thing that stands about Mookie is that he is just not like any other player in baseball right now (well, except the otherworldly center fielder southbound on the 5). Unlike most other players in this current era of baseball, the Dodgers’ new right-fielder is not defined by huge home run numbers or his ability to generate walks to be driven in by an otherwise-loaded lineup. Instead, Betts’ ability to make an immediate impact on the game is something that is usually only seen among the game’s greatest players. Think of his impact along the same way that LeBron James has brought to the Lakers; both players just do some insane things to make their teammates better on a nightly basis. It’s something that can not really be put into words, as you can not just look at a box score to see the impact that Betts makes on a game. There’s a reason that the Dodgers won each of their games in which Betts recorded a hit in the World Series, which speaks to the leadership and spark plug that will reside inside the friendly confines of Dodger Stadium, and likely even Cooperstown eventually, for quite a long time.

Long the subject of harsh postseason criticism, Clayton Kershaw sealed his legacy as one of baseball’s greatest pitchers of all-time with a special October that was capped off with two gritty wins of his own in the World Series (via The Athletic).

But what cannot be overstated in this World Series is what the overall outcome has done to the legacy of one of the game’s greatest players of all-time in left-handed pitcher, Clayton Kershaw. The former NL MVP, three-time Cy Young award winner, eight-time All-Star, and five-time ERA champion finally found the crown jewel of his Major League career in the 2020 postseason, nearly exorcising every postseason demon that had haunted his otherwise-illustrious career. With a 4-1 record and 2.93 ERA with 37 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings over the course of the isolated 2020 postseason near his hometown in Dallas, Texas, Kershaw officially sealed his first-ballot Cooperstown fate by silencing any doubters who questioned if the moment was too big for him.

The narrative that the superstar southpaw was unable to perform in the postseason was always a bit overblown, but it can officially be demolished now that he is a World Series champion with the only ballclub he has ever played for. The blemishes will likely always have some kind of role in his career; after all, the St. Louis Cardinals of the early 2010’s and the Houston Astros cheating scandal that rocked the league back in 2017 played such a big role in his career of what could have been for so, so long. But what really stands out about this success in this particular 2020 postseason is his recovery from a 2019 postseason that was nothing short of true embarrassment. “Everything people say is true right now about the postseason. I understand that. Nothing I can do about it right now. It's a terrible feeling. It really is,” said Kershaw after he allowed two crucial home runs to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto in blowing a 3-1 Dodgers’ lead in Game 5 of the NLDS against the future 2019 champions in the Washington Nationals. The end of the road appeared to be the next step in Kershaw’s career, with diminished velocity and a budding ace right behind him ready to take the reigns for the top spot in the Dodgers’ rotation.

But that wasn’t the end for the iconic Dodger as it turns out, and it may even be just the beginning if things can fall in Los Angeles’ way in upcoming seasons. In his ten regular season starts in 2020, Kershaw returned to his previously dominant form with a 6-2 record and a 2.19 ERA, proving once again that his “down years” are the best years of their career for many other people. But unlike any other season in his career, the regular season was not his moment of sheer excellence. Instead, that was saved for two memorable World Series starts inside Globe Life Field, in which Kershaw went 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and 14 strikeouts. Yet both of his starts in the final series could not have been any more different; in Game 1, Kershaw dominated Rays’ hitters with his three-pitch variety that has consistently fooled Major Leaguers since the moment he stepped foot on a big league mound. But Game 5 was the version everyone has longed to see, and perhaps the iconic moment of his prolific career. Kershaw certainly did not have his best stuff by any means, struggling a ton with his command on his typically-wicked curveball and wipeout slider, but he legged out 5 2/3 innings for the Dodgers and left the game with a lead. His innings turned out to be the difference in the game, and maybe even the series in total considering what we now know regarding the health status of the team, and Kershaw finally was able to step back and marvel at two out of four wins of his own making in a postseason series for the first time in career.

The number “22” will certainly join the ranks of pitchers like “32” and “53” on the left-field corner one day long after his career has come to a close, but the veteran lefty can now officially look toward the opposite corner inside Dodger Stadium for an even more memorable number: “2020”. With a World Series title now under his belt, Kershaw has become the iconic Dodger of the past several years, and will go down not only as one of the organization’s greatest players, but as one of their greatest leaders to ever lace up their spikes.

The most valuable player of the Dodgers’ postseason run was certainly shortstop Corey Seager, who was nearly perfect in the field and in the box as the NLCS and World Series MVP (via USA Today).

So how else did the Dodgers get here outside of the impact from their most recognizable players? For starters, shortstop Corey Seager appears to be worth every single cent of an inevitable upcoming contract with the team after one of the greatest postseason runs in the history of the sport. Seager, like Betts, will surely collect some MVP votes once again in the National League after a rejuvenated year that saw him hit .307 with 15 home runs and 41 RBIs over the course of the shortened season, but that was not the final impact he would make on the Dodgers’ season. Seager instantly became a postseason legend by chipping in on some perfectly smooth defense in the middle infield while hitting .328 with 8 home runs (tied for the second most in playoff history) and 20 RBIs in 18 postseason games, helping to carry the Dodgers’ offense on his way to the honors for the NLCS and World Series MVP awards. That should speak a lot about the performance of one of the best current players in the game when healthy, who joins the ranks of former Dodger legends such as Orel Hershiser and Sandy Koufax to take home the illustrious honor of World Series MVP while wearing the Dodgers’ colors.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ de facto captain in Justin Turner was finally able to take home the first championship of his remarkable career. A former New York Mets’ castoff and the modern-day Ron Cey in the Dodger organization, as well as a player who has led the Dodgers through the Southern California community while representing his childhood team, Turner has been a mainstay over seven of the past eight NL West title seasons and has been a dominant postseason presence despite their hiccups over the past few postseason runs. Turner ranks at the top of nearly every single category in Dodger postseason history, and his performance when it matter most was once again a shining highlight in his bright career. Turner capped off the season with the best of his three World Series appearances, hitting .320 with two huge home runs that helped get the Dodgers’ going on offense early on. It is a sad development that Turner was not able to celebrate a ton with his team due to unforeseen circumstances that prevented that late in Tuesday night’s game due to his role with the team over the latter half of the past decade, but make no mistake despite his upcoming free agency: he should be back soon enough to help guide this team to more playoff success.

Back on the mound though, Walker Buehler and Julio Urías were the cure to every problem that the Dodgers faced over the course of the postseason. Buehler, perhaps the single best pitcher in the game right now, was huge for the Dodgers once again in clutch moments, including two dominant outings in Game 7 of the NLCS and Game 3 of the World Series when his best stuff was certainly required for a positive outcome. The true definition of a big-game pitcher, Buehler pitched through blister problems in the postseason after a bumpy run in the regular season and fashionably cemented his legacy as a Dodger great in his short career thus far, which speaks to the potential he has on the mound for as long as he remains in Los Angeles. However, for the young left-hander in Urías, a postseason coming out party was just what he needed to establish himself as a mainstay at the top of the Dodger rotation for as long as they’ll have him. With a pulse as still as Tom Brady in the 4th quarter of a Super Bowl, the left-hander was asked to close out both Game 7 of the NLCS and Game 6 of the World Series. And after several nearly unhittable outings that concluded with an impressive image that will go down in Dodger history, Urías was the man for the job when the Dodgers needed to slam the door shut in order win a World Series. The obvious comparisons to Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 will certainly come to mind for the still-young Urías, but one thing is clear after his magical postseason run: he’s a special talent on the mound with a clutch gene that is truly had to find in the modern-day athlete.

Several players such as Max Muncy stepped up over the course of the postseason for the Dodgers, who slugged their way to a world championship (via ABC7 Los Angeles).

Yet those Dodgers aren’t the only significant contributors over the course of this miraculous season. Cody Bellinger, the reigning NL MVP, had one of his better postseasons and captured two iconic moments in Dodger history in Game 2 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres and in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Braves. Max Muncy was an on-base percentage machine (20 walks in the postseason) who stepped up in the clutch for the Dodgers once again. Joc Pederson found October momentum again, including hitting .400 on the biggest stage of the World Series. Kike Hernández also saved more of his prior postseason heroics for this run, including a massive Game 7 home run in the NLCS. The Dodger bullpen was significantly better than it had been in the past, including a dominant Game 6 closeout performance on Tuesday. Austin Barnes and Will Smith were huge behind the plate, while also playing well in big moments with the bat in their hands. Contributors across the board were the name of the game for the Dodgers in 2020, which is a large reason why the Dodgers were able to set the record for the most two-out RBIs in a single postseason. It was never about one single player; instead, it was all about passing the baton onto one another and having faith in their teammates in some pressure-filled situations that could have gone either way.

With that said, credit deserves to head in the direction of manager Dave Roberts as well. Roberts, often the figure that many fans blamed and looked down upon for some of their prior failures, put together his best postseason by far after learning from the mistakes that cost his team in years past. Whether it be knowing when to confidently pull Clayton Kershaw from Game 5 of the World Series or his clear goal to save Walker Buehler in the event of a Game 7 rather than rushing him out there for Game 6, Roberts was the puppet master that was in complete control of his team. Roberts has always been known as a players’ coach who was great at communicating with his players in the clubhouse, but the manager brought somewhat of an edge and intensity to the clubhouse this year after realizing that this team was in must-win territory for 2020 after general manager Andrew Friedman was able to create such a loaded roster full of talent and chemistry. And in doing so, Roberts became the second African-American manager to win a World Series and just the third manager in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers to win one alongside two legends in Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda, putting him in a rare class of managers to find such early success in their tenure. With a championship ring now sitting in his office and with his team set up for years to come, there is no longer any sort of doubt that Roberts is the man for the job in the long-term for the Dodgers.

Nothing is Written: the Dodgers’ ultimate triumph in 2020 finally puts their previous postseason failures to rest after a thrilling series against the Tampa Bay Rays (via NBC Bay Area).

Do the Dodgers get here without the trade for Mookie Betts? Do they get here without the Astros’ offseason scandal that had many Dodger players fired up for the new year? Do they get here without that iconic encounter between Joe Kelly and Carlos Correa of the Astros? Do they get here without the Padres seriously pushing them for NL West supremacy? The answer to all of these is likely no, which shows how far these Dodgers have come in just a matter of months. Back in June, many fans doubted if baseball would even be played at all this year. But now, in late October from California to Texas, fans have rejoiced in their team winning their first world championship since 1988, breaking a thirty-two year long drought that hung over one of the proudest franchises in sports like a stormy cloud.

When will we see the Boys in Blue next? That remains to be seen with so much uncertainty still in the air, but the fact of the matter is that the Los Angeles Dodgers have once again reached the top of the mountain as led by players like Kershaw, Betts, Seager, Bellinger, and Buehler. In a perfect world, fans will fill up all 56,000 seats in Chavez Ravine for the Dodgers’ first ring ceremony since Ronald Reagan was the president of the United States. But as the Dodgers know better than anyone, it’s never a perfect world when it comes to baseball, and the obstacles that have to be dealt with in order to win are nearly impossible without one another in perfect harmony.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times last week, longtime Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully had this to say about the team that he watched take the field for 67 years between Brooklyn and Los Angeles: “That’s really one of the charms: Just when you expect them to do something, they won’t do it; and when you expect that they can’t do it, that’s when they win. It’s all part of the Dodger mystique.” And Vin, several years removed from his retirement, still remains the heart and soul of an organization that he seemingly still understands better than anyone. The Dodgers will never be the team that sits at the bottom of the league with no hope of winning a World Series. They’ll also never be the team that remains a consistent juggernaut and can plow through any team without any sort of difficulty. No, they’ll always be those same Dodgers, an often-gritty, sometimes-shocking, yet mostly-lovable team that will make you feel every emotion that you can dream up. So to take one last page out of Scully’s playbook from now until first pitch of the 2021 season, here are our final words on the 2020 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers:

“May God give you for every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise, and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life seems, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song, and an answer to each prayer. You and I have been friends for a long time, but I know in my heart that I’ve always needed you more than you’ve ever needed me. And I’ll miss our time together more than I can say. But you know what, there will be a new day, and eventually a new year, and when the upcoming winter gives way to spring, rest assured once again, it will be time for Dodger baseball. So this is Vin Scully wishing you a very pleasant good afternoon wherever you may be.”