Los Angeles Dodgers history in winner-take-all playoff games

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 18: Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is awarded the Most Valuable Player award following the teams 4-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves in Game Seven of the National League Championship Series at Globe Life Field on October 18, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 18: Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is awarded the Most Valuable Player award following the teams 4-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves in Game Seven of the National League Championship Series at Globe Life Field on October 18, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Modern day Los Angeles Dodgers fans know this all too well. Their team has been faced with plenty of winner-take-all playoff games, especially in recent memory, and not all of them have been pleasant.

But come one guys, we have 2020’s NLCS comeback against the Atlanta Braves that eventually resulted in a World Series win. Riding high at the moment!

Oh yeah, and we have 2021’s NL Wild Card victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, which the Dodgers won in dramatic fashion on Chris Taylor’s walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.

In total, the Dodgers have battled in 18 winner-take-all postseason contests and we’re going to list them all out so you have some much-needed historical reference the next time your favorite team finds itself in this situation.

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What’s the Los Angeles Dodgers’ all-time record in winner-take-all playoff games?

The Dodgers are 9-9 in these games dating back to 1947, when the franchise was in Brooklyn. Let’s take a more extensive look … with help from Baseball-Reference and the Los Angeles Times!

  • 1947 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers lost Game 7 to the New York Yankees by a score of 5-2
  • 1951 tie-breaker series: Brooklyn Dodgers lost Game 3 to the New York Giants by a score of 5-4
  • 1952 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers lost Game 7 to the New York Yankees by a score of 4-2
  • 1955 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers won Game 7 against the New York Yankees by a score of 2-0
  • 1956 World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers lost Game 7 to the New York Yankees by a score of 9-0
  • 1962 tie-breaker series: Los Angeles Dodgers lost Game 3 to the San Francisco Giants by a score of 6-4
  • 1965 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 7 against the Minnesota Twins by a score of 2-0
  • 1980 tie-breaker game: Los Angeles Dodgers lost one-game playoff to the Houston Astros by a score of 7-1
  • 1981 NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 5 against the Houston Astros by a score of 4-0
  • 1981 NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 5 against the Montreal Expos by a score of 2-1
  • 1988 NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 7 against the New York Mets by a score of 6-0
  • 2015 NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers lost Game 5 to the New York Mets by a score of 3-2
  • 2016 NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 5 against the Washington Nationals by a score of 4-3
  • 2017 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers lost Game 7 to the Houston Astros by a score of 5-1
  • 2018 NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 7 against the Milwaukee Brewers by a score of 5-1
  • 2019 NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers lost Game 5 to the Washington Nationals by a score of 7-3
  • 2020 NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 7 against the Atlanta Braves by a score of 4-3
  • 2021 NL Wild Card Game: Los Angeles Dodgers defeat St. Louis Cardinals in the one-game playoff by a score of 3-1

Next up on this list? Thursday’s result from Game 5 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and Giants. Time to get that revenge from the ’50s and ’60s!

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