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After an NLDS against the San Diego Padres predicated on narratives of primetime disappearance against their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers shook a gigantic monkey off their backs, winning an emphatic Game 4 and a nailbiting Game 5 to reverse recent trends.
That won them a berth in the NLCS, where they kept the train rolling on Sunday night against the upstart New York Mets and Kodai Senga. LA's offense hopped on New York early and often, while Jack Flaherty and the bullpen extended the Dodgers' record-tying postseason scoreless inning streak to 33. They'll have a chance to best the 1966 Orioles in the first frame of Game 2.
All good, right? Momentum rolling? Star-studded roster showing America who they really are? Nothing can stop them now? Well...
According to Sarah Langs, Sunday night's Dodgers win tied for the fourth-largest shutout victory ever in Game 1 of a postseason series. 13-0, captured by the 1984 Chicago Cubs, is the pace-setter. You may remember those star-crossed Cubs from falling short of the World Series, felled by Steve Garvey's San Diego Padres.
Same thing with the other top five blowout shutouts, actually. None of the five teams that accompany the Dodgers on this inglorious list captured the series in which the large-margin shutout occurred. What...is happening?
largest shutout wins in G1 of postseason series:
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 14, 2024
1984 NLCS CHC: 13-0
1959 WS CHW: 11-0
1982 WS MIL: 10-0
2024 NLCS LAD: 9-0
2011 ALDS TB: 9-0
1945 WS CHC: 9-0
each of the 5 previous teams lost the series
Dodgers' Game 1 win over New York Mets in NLCS was historic blowout, could mean series loss
After watching the Mets in the Wild Card round and Division Series, is it any wonder that they'd be on the right side of lucky history even after getting destroyed?
No matter. All these Dodgers have to do is bust another narrative myth, something they managed quite gracefully in the preceding round against San Diego.
Toeing the rubber for the Dodgers in Game 2 will be ... well, the entire bullpen, which worked to perfection in the pivoting Game 4 of the previous round. Dave Roberts must manage deftly, stemming the tide anytime the Mets threaten to figure out one piece of the puzzle. If he's not careful, he could end up on the wrong side of this bizarre gulf in league history, feeding the Mets momentum heading into their trio of home games ... and, yeah, all of a sudden, we're starting to see how this is possible.