Though the Dodgers have two World Series in the 2020s, there's an argument that Los Angeles should have more.
Los Angeles suffered upset NLDS exits in both 2022 and 2023 against division rivals in the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers finally got over the hump in 2024, beating the Padres and New York Mets before defeating the New York Yankees in the World Series.
In their first season with Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers won their eighth World Series in franchise history. Every season, Los Angeles will be viewed as one of the favorites, and every playoff loss will be a disappointment.
Here's a look at the Dodgers' postseason struggles over the past few seasons and how they got over the hump in 2024.
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Dodgers playoff failures
Seven of the Dodgers' past 11 postseason appearances have ended with elimination at the hands of a team that finished with a worse regular season record. The exceptions are 2016, when they lost to the NL-leading Cubs, 2018, when they lost the World Series to the Red Sox, and 2020 and 2024, when the Dodgers won the World Series.
Here are the playoff disappointments of the last decade for the Dodgers:
| Year | Record | Result |
| 2014 | 94-68 | Lost NLDS to Cardinals (90-72) |
| 2015 | 92-70 | Lost NLDS to Mets (90-72) |
| 2017 | 104-58 | Lost World Series to Astros (101-61) |
| 2019 | 106-56 | Lost NLDS to Nationals (93-69) |
| 2021 | 106-56 | Lost NLCS to Braves (88-73) |
| 2022 | 111-51 | Lost NLDS to Padres (89-73) |
| 2023 | 100-62 | Lost NLDS to Diamondbacks (84-78) |
The past four teams to eliminate Los Angeles in the postseason not only finished with a worse record, but each finished at least 13 games behind the Dodgers in the regular season. The 2019 Nationals were 13 games back of the Dodgers, while the 2021 Braves (17.5 games), 2022 Padres (22 games), and 2023 Diamondbacks (16 games) had an even wider gap.
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What's gone wrong for the Dodgers in the past?
The Dodgers' exits in 2021 and 2022 were mystifying. Los Angeles was decisively better than the Braves and Padres in each regular season and entered the postseason as the favorite to win the World Series. Last season was shocking, but it was at least explainable: starting pitching injuries shredded the Dodgers' rotation, and the front office didn't do much at the trade deadline to address it. Los Angeles' biggest deadline addition was arguably Lance Lynn, who had a nightmarish first half and came with a penchant for giving up home runs.
By the time the 2023 NLDS came around, the Dodgers effectively had three starters to work with: an aging Clayton Kershaw, an inexperienced Bobby Miller, and Lynn. That doesn't mean they should have lost the series to an 84-win team, let alone get swept, but once Kershaw was clobbered in the first inning of Game 1, the stage was set for the Diamondbacks to compete.
In 2024, the Dodgers faced a deficit in the NLDS against the Padres, going down 2-1 and having to throw a bullpen game. Los Angeles had eight pitchers on the mound that game, and didn't give up a single run in an 8-0 victory. Then, with Yamamoto on the mound for Game 5, the Padres were once again blanked in a 2-0 victory. Los Angeles' pitching was exceptional the rest of the way en route to the Dodgers' eighth World Series.
In 2025, Los Angeles put together a sub-par regular season, finishing 93-69, which was third in the National League. Los Angeles will play in the expanded Wild Card round for the first time ever since its introduction in 2022, where it will host the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium.
If the Dodgers fail to get out of the first round, there will surely be discontent among the organization and fans.
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