The Word on Campus: Dodgers and the World Series

Joc Pederson (left) homers and celebrates with teammate Cody Bellinger (right) during a game againstThe Kansas City Royals at
the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. Photo by contributor:  Agustin Zepeda

Growing up in Los Angeles, if your family likes baseball, you are more than likely to become a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. One of these childhood fans is Matt Hank, a Strength and Conditioning coach in the Kinesiology Department. He recalls watching Dodger games with his father. "My dad took me to games when I was younger. The first game I went to [was] probably [in] third or second grade," said Hank. He is hopeful this year that the Dodgers will have a solid outing in the postseason. He stated "The offense looks pretty strong for sure this year," said Hank. "If our pitching could hold up, and Clayton [Kershaw] is the number one like he is supposed to be, I don't know why we wouldn't be able to make it to the World Series."

Friday September 22nd, 2017, the Los Angeles Dodgers played against the San Francisco Giants, which ended with the Dodgers winning 4-2 and clinching the National League West Championship. At the time of the Dodgers win, they established a nine-game division lead (98-56) over the Arizona Diamondbacks (89-56), who had eight games left in the regular season. Going into the playoffs, the Dodgers held a record of 104 wins and only 58 losses. Meanwhile their home record is 57-24, and their away record is 47-34.

The Dodgers first game of the postseason was on Friday, October 6th at 7:30 p.m against the Diamondbacks. The first series in the postseason is best out of five games, and the first team to three wins moves on to the next round. The Dodgers first postseason series ended on October 9th, with a three game sweep of the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers second postseason series began on Saturday, October 14th, they played the Chicago Cubs and won 5-2. This second series will be the best out of seven games, meaning the first team to four-wins, takes the series and moves on to the World Series.

Dodger fans are proud of their team clinching the NL West for their fifth consecutive season. “It feels awesome.” said Javier Hernandez, a mechanical engineer major at Santa Monica College who is currently working on his prerequisites. Hernandez has been a Dodgers fan since childhood and is hopeful that the Dodgers will make it into the World Series this year. “I’m feeling pretty confident about them, they always have come back [well].” said Hernandez.

Dodger fans are thrilled, but even fans of rival teams are proud of the Dodgers. “I have mixed emotions.” said Henry Mazariegos, an English major at SMC. Mazariegos is a Washington Nationals fan, but he does have a place in his heart for the Dodgers. “I feel like they (The Dodgers) have done well for the past five seasons, I just want to see them go to at least to the National Championship,” said Mazariegos. “My father is from LA and I am from Washington (DC) so its mixed emotions for me, but I feel happy for them (The Dodgers).”

The Dodgers are only the sixth team in division history, to win a division title for five or more consecutive seasons. This post season the Dodgers will try to finish the deal and win the World Series, and according to part-owner of the Dodgers, Magic Johnson, “The Dodgers are going to win the World Series this year."