CINCINNATI -- Try as they might to view 2026 as its own season, everything the Dodgers have done this year is impossible to separate from the larger context of what they have accomplished in more than a decade of excellence.
Fourteen straight postseason berths. Five consecutive division titles. The rare chance to vie for a World Series three-peat.
The Dodgers hit another key milestone in their title defense by reclaiming the NL West crown with an 8-2 victory over the Reds on Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. Three days after their traditional champagne toast in honor of clinching a postseason berth, winning the West brought on a wild clubhouse celebration -- which they hope will be the first of many over the next several weeks.
"You get so mired in each year, it’s hard to have any perspective," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "We’ve had our share of troubles this year. Things where we had to work harder than we expected on a couple of fronts. But the important thing is how we finish and how we go into October."
In their record-tying 14 consecutive postseason appearances, the Dodgers have 13 division titles. The only team to unseat them was the 2021 Giants, who edged them in one of the most highly contested NL West races in recent memory.
Since divisional play began in 1969, the Dodgers lead all big league teams with 24 division titles, one more than the Braves -- currently in line to win the NL East -- and three more than the Yankees. Each year's achievements raise the bar for every ensuing year. The expectations facing the Dodgers have become nearly impossible to meet. But they've embraced them gladly.
"There is certainly a higher expectation when, if you don't win the World Series, you fail," manager Dave Roberts said. "But that's kind of part of what you signed up with the Dodgers.”
The Dodgers' offense, whose inconsistency has been a perpetual concern over the course of the season, provided plenty of early support to back a scheduled bullpen game. Kyle Tucker led the way with a four-hit, three-RBI showing, finishing a triple shy of the Dodgers’ first cycle since 2017. Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Josue De Paula and Miguel Rojas also knocked in runs.
Justin Wrobleski opened the bullpen game with three perfect innings, and while Blake Treinen surrendered a solo home run in the fourth, Landon Knack pitched four scoreless frames before Seth Halvorsen allowed a run in the ninth.
With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Dodgers are far from full strength. Their best hitter, Shohei Ohtani, is on the 15-day IL, as is first-time All-Star Andy Pages. The six-man rotation they carried for most of the season has been reduced to four fully stretched-out starters on the active roster, necessitating Thursday's bullpen game.
"It's been the same thing the last couple years," Muncy said. "We've had guys go down. We've had guys step up in their place. … That's all that we ask, and we've been able to survive a lot."
The Dodgers are expecting reinforcements back before the postseason, and would greatly benefit from securing a first-round bye to advance directly to the NL Division Series -- giving them five days off after the end of the regular season. They hold a four-game lead over the Braves for the No. 2 seed in the National League.
This edition of the Dodgers is not without its flaws, but then again, neither were the back-to-back champion teams in 2024 and '25. After becoming the first team in a quarter-century to defend their title last year, they will vie for the Majors' first three-peat since the 1998-2000 Yankees.
While the talk of a three-peat began almost from the moment the Dodgers became back-to-back champions last November, Roberts urged his team to stay focused on the present while keeping the larger goal in mind. In his annual speech on the first day of full-squad workouts during Spring Training, he delivered the following message: Be a greyhound, looking forward with blinders on.
Tarik Skubal was not a Dodger when Roberts gave his spring address, but he saw the message play out after he was dealt to L.A. ahead of the Trade Deadline. He arrived at the beginning of a season-high seven-game losing streak -- and the tough stretch gave him a feel for the culture that has led to his new team's sustained success.
"I think there was no panic from this group," Skubal said. "I think that’s why in big moments, pressure doesn't really get to these guys."
The Dodgers have a long road ahead as they look to get back to the World Series, but it bears similarities to the roads they have traveled before. The slate might be wiped clean every year, but they have experience weathering the challenges along the way to the promised land.
"It's a different year, but I think it's kind of the same," Mookie Betts said. "The same group of guys. We know what to expect. We know what to expect from each other. It's the same goal every year. Getting here, you can't really get too focused on how, as long as you get there."