Against all odds and a bumpy regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are suddenly looking like the team to beat in October. It’s remarkable how quickly the narrative can flip in Major League Baseball—one minute, a team is battling injuries and inconsistency, the next, they’re steamrolling their way through the postseason. As of October 16, 2025, the Dodgers have swept the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card series, dispatched the Philadelphia Phillies with ease in the NLDS, and now hold a commanding 2-0 lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. The World Series isn’t clinched yet, but fans are already buzzing about what could be a historic run.
Let’s set the stage. The Dodgers entered the 2025 postseason without the benefit of a bye, a direct result of a regular season marred by injuries and missed opportunities. For a franchise that’s been labeled a juggernaut in recent years, failing to secure a top seed raised more than a few eyebrows. Yet, as October rolled around, the Dodgers got healthier, found their stride, and started to look every bit the powerhouse that many expected back in April.
“A lot has to go right, and frankly, a lot has gone right for this Dodgers team specifically,” noted a longtime baseball analyst. That’s not just idle talk. The Dodgers’ postseason starting pitching has been, by all accounts, historically great. The bullpen hasn’t been called on too often, thanks to starters who have consistently delivered deep into games, shutting down opposing lineups and keeping the pressure off the relievers. It’s a formula for October success that’s as old as the game itself—but rarely executed with such precision.
Now, with only six more wins standing between them and another championship, the Dodgers are on the cusp of something truly special. Why? Because if they do manage to win the pennant and then the World Series, they’ll be the first MLB team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back titles. That’s right—25 years have passed since a team last repeated as World Series champions. In a sport often accused of lacking parity, the numbers tell a different story: it’s incredibly difficult to repeat at the top, especially in the modern era.
Just how rare is this feat? Over more than 100 years of Major League Baseball history, only 14 teams have managed to win the World Series in consecutive years. The New York Yankees, unsurprisingly, dominate the list, with stretches of dominance in the late 1990s, the late 1970s, and multiple times before that. The Toronto Blue Jays pulled off the trick in the early 1990s, the Cincinnati Reds did it in the 1970s, and the Oakland Athletics had their own dynasty in the early 1970s. But since the Yankees’ run from 1998 to 2000, no team has managed to capture the crown two years in a row.
“The fact that we haven’t had a repeat champion in 25 years is pretty jarring, and there are several reasons that explain why that’s the case,” as one report put it. The postseason is longer and tougher than ever, with more teams and more rounds to navigate. In the distant past, there were seasons with no playoffs at all—the World Series was the entire postseason, and the path to glory was far less complicated. Today, teams must endure a marathon regular season and then survive a gauntlet of do-or-die games against the best of the best.
For the Dodgers, the 2025 campaign has been anything but straightforward. The regular season was a test of depth and resilience. Injuries piled up, and the team’s much-hyped roster looked vulnerable at times. The narrative that "the team everyone thought would 'break baseball' failed to even secure a bye through the Wild Card round" became a rallying cry for critics and doubters. But as the postseason arrived, the Dodgers got healthier and, crucially, hotter. Their timing couldn’t have been better.
It’s worth noting that fortune has played a role. As one observer pointed out, “That is just fortunate; if the injuries had popped up in October, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t even be in the NLCS.” That’s the razor-thin margin that separates champions from also-rans in October baseball. The Dodgers’ ability to weather the storm and peak at the right moment has been the difference so far.
Historically, the challenge of repeating as champions has only grown. The league now features 30 teams, and the expanded playoff format means more hurdles than ever before. Only four teams have managed to win more than two World Series titles in a row, and those dynasties are the stuff of legend. The Dodgers, should they pull this off, would join a very exclusive club.
For fans, the excitement is palpable. The Dodgers’ October dominance has reignited hopes of a new dynasty in Los Angeles, and the prospect of back-to-back titles has everyone from casual followers to die-hard supporters talking. The team’s journey is a testament to perseverance, depth, and the ability to rise when it matters most.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed. “There is still more work to be done, and it’ll be interesting to see if they do, in fact, pull it off,” one analyst cautioned. The Brewers aren’t out of the fight, and the World Series—should the Dodgers get there—will present its own set of challenges. Baseball’s postseason is notoriously unpredictable, and momentum can swing in an instant.
But for now, the Dodgers are in the driver’s seat. Their blend of elite pitching, timely hitting, and renewed health has them on the verge of history. The next few games will determine whether they can finish the job and end the sport’s 25-year drought of repeat champions. For a team that looked vulnerable just weeks ago, the transformation has been nothing short of remarkable.
With six more wins to go and their eyes firmly on the prize, the Dodgers and their fans can dare to dream. October baseball is always full of surprises, but one thing’s for sure: this run will be remembered, no matter how it ends.
