Another fall setback strikes the Dodgers

After progressing through the Wild Card Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks, has secured a spot in the Championship Series by achieving an unexpected “upset” triumph with three consecutive victories over the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that notched 100 wins this season.

In Game three of the Major League Baseball (MLB) National League (NL) Division Series for the 2023-2024 season, Arizona secured a 4-2 victory against the Dodgers on Thursday. This triumphant win marked Arizona's third consecutive victory, propelling them to the NL championship game for the first time in 16 years, a significant milestone since their last appearance in 2007.

Arizona has seized control of the Thursday game by launching four solo home runs in the bottom of the third inning when the score was deadlocked at 0-0, ultimately maintaining their lead until the end of the game. This remarkable feat marks the inaugural occurrence in MLB postseason history where a team hit four home runs in a single inning.

As a result of the Dodgers' elimination, two of the three teams with the highest winning percentages in this season's MLB regular league failed to progress past the division series. In this year's regular league, the Atlanta Diamondbacks secured the top spot with a winning percentage of 0.642, while the Baltimore Orioles in the American League (AL) held a winning percentage of 0.623. The Dodgers, also in the NL, had a winning percentage of 0.617. Remarkably, among all 30 MLB teams, only these three managed to achieve more than 100 wins in the season.


leper@donga.com