The Los Angeles Dodgers have once again stamped their authority on Major League Baseball, sweeping aside the Milwaukee Brewers to claim the 2025 National League pennant and booking their ticket to a second consecutive World Series. On a crisp Friday night at Dodger Stadium, the defending champions delivered a performance that was as dominant as it was historic, dispatching the Brewers 5-1 in Game 4 and igniting celebrations across Chavez Ravine. It’s the 23rd NL pennant in franchise history and the 14th since the club moved to Los Angeles, but this one might be their most emphatic statement yet.
From the outset, the 2025 Dodgers were cast as overwhelming favorites—a financial juggernaut with a jaw-dropping $416.9 million luxury-tax payroll, the highest in MLB history. Their roster, brimming with All-Stars and headline-makers, was built not just to compete, but to dominate. The club’s aggressive offseason moves included the acquisitions of elite pitchers Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates, all designed to shore up a rotation and bullpen that already boasted enviable depth. Manager Dave Roberts, who inked a record-setting $32.4 million contract extension before the season, was tasked with steering this star-studded ship back to the Fall Classic.
Yet, the road to October was anything but a cakewalk. Despite their stacked lineup, the Dodgers faced their share of adversity. A midseason stumble saw them briefly relinquish the NL West lead to the San Diego Padres as late as August 23, and questions lingered about whether their bullpen—despite its hefty price tag—could hold up under playoff pressure. But as the calendar flipped to September, the Dodgers found their stride, closing the regular season on a 9-2 run to finish 93-69 and claim their 12th division crown in 13 seasons. Their regular-season mark was impressive, but by their own lofty standards, it was only the ninth-best winning percentage in their current streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances.
The postseason, however, has been a different story—one of near-flawless execution and relentless hunger. The Dodgers swept the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card round, outscoring them 18-4 in two games, before dispatching the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the Division Series. That clincher was a wild, 11-inning affair that showcased the team’s resilience and knack for timely hitting. Then came the NLCS, where the Brewers—owners of the best regular-season record and the hopes of a long-suffering fan base—were simply overmatched. The Dodgers outscored their postseason opponents by a combined 46-28, steamrolling their way to a 9-1 playoff record.
Friday night’s pennant-clinching victory was punctuated by a performance for the ages from Shohei Ohtani, the $700 million superstar who had, until then, endured a postseason slump. Ohtani erupted with three home runs and struck out 10 batters on the mound, a stat line never before seen in playoff history. According to AP, the Dodgers “looked like a juggernaut while doing it, with near-flawless starting pitching and a deep, resilient lineup producing key hits and electrifying highlights.” The crowd roared as Ohtani’s third homer soared over the fence, and the dugout erupted in giddy disbelief. “That was special,” said last year’s World Series MVP Freddie Freeman. “We’ve just been playing really good baseball for a while now, and the inevitable kind of happened today.”
Manager Dave Roberts, now the first skipper in decades to win five pennants in his first 10 seasons, summed up the team’s attitude during the NLCS trophy ceremony. “I’ll tell you, before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” Roberts declared to the roaring crowd. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!” His words, half-mocking the critics who decry the club’s spending power, resonated with a fan base that packed Dodger Stadium to a franchise-record 4.01 million in attendance this season.
Indeed, the Dodgers’ financial might has become a lightning rod across the league. Their $509.5 million in total player spending, including $168 million in projected luxury tax, dwarfs the payrolls of their potential World Series opponents—Seattle Mariners ($167.2 million) and Toronto Blue Jays ($252.7 million plus $13.4 million in tax). The disparity has fueled debate about MLB’s competitive balance, especially as the league prepares for tense labor negotiations with the MLB Players Association next year. For now, though, Los Angeles is unapologetic, leaning fully into its behemoth status and letting the results speak for themselves.
But it’s not just about the checkbook. The Dodgers’ front office, led by baseball boss Andrew Friedman, has built a culture of excellence that attracts the best talent from around the globe. Stars like Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman, Max Muncy, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow all started their careers elsewhere, but Los Angeles identified and developed them into a cohesive, winning unit. Japanese standouts Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki chose the Dodgers in recent offseasons because of the organization’s track record and culture. “This is why I came here,” said Snell, who has thrown 21 innings of two-run ball with 28 strikeouts in three playoff starts. “Now we’re in the World Series, so I can’t wait to prove myself what I can do there.”
Even the bullpen, maligned at times for inconsistent performances from high-priced additions like Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott, has held up when it mattered most. The Dodgers’ playoff savvy, top-end talent, and relentless focus have been too much for their opponents, and their hunger for another title is palpable. As Roberts put it, “It’s just a very talented group, but it’s (also) a very focused and very hungry group. So I think that when you get those components, it’s tough to beat. And we mind the little things. We’re hungry. We don’t really care what happened before.”
Now, with the World Series set to begin October 24, the Dodgers await the winner of the American League Championship Series—either the Seattle Mariners or the Toronto Blue Jays. Los Angeles is four wins away from becoming the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The dates and venues for each possible matchup are already set, with the Dodgers holding home-field advantage if they face the Mariners, while the Blue Jays would open at home in Toronto.
As the city of Los Angeles basks in another pennant and fans rush to snag official championship merchandise, the Dodgers are laser-focused on their ultimate goal: a ninth World Series championship and a place in baseball history. The action resumes October 24, and if their October form is any indication, the Dodgers are primed for another unforgettable run.
