The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Thursday needing one more victory to secure another National League West championship. They left little room for suspense.
Los Angeles handled the Cincinnati Reds on the road, rolling to an 8-2 victory and officially locking up its fifth consecutive division title. The win improved the Dodgers to 93-60, putting them beyond the reach of the 83-69 San Diego Padres and adding another division championship to a remarkable regular-season stretch.
It wasn’t a conventional pitching performance that got them there. Starter Justin Wrobleski lasted only three innings before the Dodgers turned the game over to their bullpen. Three relievers followed, with Landon Knack providing the biggest contribution by covering four innings and helping Los Angeles avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the rest of the relief corps.
Kyle Tucker Powers Dodgers Past Reds
At the plate, Kyle Tucker delivered the day’s biggest performance.
Tucker finished with four hits, including a two-run home run, and drove in four runs. His production helped the Dodgers finish off a successful trip to Cincinnati by taking three of four games from the Reds.
The victory also added another entry to a period in which winning the NL West has become almost routine for Los Angeles. The Dodgers have now captured the division in 13 of the past 14 seasons, including championships in the shortened 2020 season and the club’s recent back-to-back World Series titles.
This particular division championship also carries a place in baseball history.
Dodgers Make History With 24th Division Championship.
The Dodgers now have 24 division titles, the most by any franchise since Major League Baseball introduced divisional play in 1969. Their first came in 1974. The Atlanta Braves sit just behind Los Angeles with 23 and could tie if they finish their own division race. Atlanta currently holds a 4.5-game advantage over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.
For Los Angeles, though, another NL West banner isn’t the final objective.
The Dodgers have reached this point before. Their 2026 division championship has once again secured their place in the postseason, where Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and the rest of a star-heavy roster will attempt something that has happened only a handful of times in Major League Baseball history.
Ohtani didn’t play in Thursday’s division-clinching victory, but the next phase of the season will determine whether this Dodgers team can join an extraordinarily short list.
Dodgers Turn Their Attention to a World Series Three-Peat
Los Angeles is trying to win a third consecutive World Series championship. Only two franchises have accomplished that feat, although the New York Yankees have done it during multiple eras. The Yankees won at least three straight championships on three separate occasions, most recently from 1998 through 2000. The Oakland Athletics also won three consecutive World Series from 1972 through 1974.
That makes the Dodgers’ postseason assignment considerably more difficult than simply adding another division trophy to the collection.
They have already established an unusual level of regular-season consistency. Thirteen division championships in 14 seasons and an MLB-record 24 division crowns speak to that. Back-to-back World Series championships have provided the recent postseason results.
Now comes the opportunity that matters most to this particular Dodgers team: defending the title once again and attempting to become the first club since the 1998-2000 Yankees to win three consecutive World Series.
The NL West has been settled. What the Dodgers do in October is still up for grabs.
