Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
The Dodgers won their franchise-record 107th game on Wednesday, putting a bow on one of the greatest regular seasons in MLB history.
By the numbers: With seven games left, they have a chance to become just the seventh team to win 110 games in a season.
- Their +322 run differential is the sixth-best since 1900 and the best since the 1939 Yankees. It's also nearly 100 better than second place (Yankees, +235).
- Their 494 runs allowed put them just about on pace to allow the fewest of any team this century (2015 Cardinals, 525).
- Fans have contributed, too: Their average attendance of 47,687 trails only 2019 (49,065) for the most in franchise history, and is 17% higher than second place this season (Cardinals, 40,775).
Between the lines: The Dodgers' payroll ranks second behind only the Mets, but money alone can't buy this many wins. It's the depth beyond their stars that once again is driving their success.
- Unheralded guys like Trayce Thompson (Klay's little brother) and Tyler Anderson have stepped in for the struggling Cody Bellinger and injured Walker Buehler.
- Injuries could have sunk them — they've lost the fourth-most days to the IL among all teams — but instead they've battled to a historic end.
The big picture: The Dodgers' 2022 season is an all-timer in a vacuum, but is even more impressive when you look at the 10-year run it's capping off.
- The only time since 2013 they failed to win the division was last year — when they won 106 games.
- They're the only team in MLB history to win 106+ games in three straight full seasons. In the non-full season, all they did was win the World Series.
- Their 927 wins since 2013 are 72 more than second place (Yankees, 855), roughly the same as the difference between the Yankees and the ninth-place Cubs (784).
The bottom line: The Dodgers are very good at baseball — so good that one might be tempted to say there's something in the water in Southern California. Then again, the Angels exist.