Mookie Betts, Dodgers Called Out as Frauds By Fans After Being Swept By D-Backs

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached the postseason in 11 straight years and 15 times in total since 2004. They’ve won the NL West 13 times in that span, have reached the World Series three times and have regularly featured a star-studded, payroll-stretching roster.

And through it all, they’ve managed to win exactly one title, in 2020’s pandemic-shortened season.

So when the Dodgers lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, 4-2, completing a three-game sweep to end their season in the NLDS, it was hardly a surprise for many fans and pundits around baseball.

Sure, the circumstances of this particular loss were surprising. No team in baseball history had ever hit four solo homers in a postseason inning until the D-Backs pulled off the feat against Dodgers’ starter Lance Lynn in the bottom of the third.

But in general, the feeling was the same—come October, the Dodgers choke. It’s just what they do:

It should be noted that the Dodgers showed life in the top of the seventh, pushing across two runs on four straight singles. That brief glint of hope only made the eventual loss all the more painful for Dodgers fans.

There will be plenty of blame to go around. Manager Dave Roberts won’t be spared:

Neither will a lineup that struggled to generate many runs. Superstars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, each legitimate MVP candidates this season, went 1-for-21 in the series.

The pitching staff dealt with plenty of injuries, sure, but the starters who did take the mound—including Clayton Kershaw, ever beleaguered come October—were absolutely blasted by the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers will be back. They’ll probably make a push to sign Shohei Ohtani. New talent will come up from the farm system. The core is talented and will produce yet again. Another strong regular season in 2024 feels likely.

Still, the specter of October looms. The Dodgers are like the character in the horror movie who dies almost instantly.

“No, no, no, Dodgers—don’t go into that room!” their fans yell in the theater. “The killer is in that room!”

But they walk in anyway. They can’t help it. It’s the room where playoff baseball is played.