Los Angeles Dodgers: NL West Champions, Playoff Bye and Three-Peat Chase
UPDATE (Sept 24): The Dodgers clinched a fifth straight NL West title on September 17 (8-2 at Cincinnati), their 13th in 14 seasons and a 14th consecutive postseason trip. At 97-60 after a 7-0 win over San Diego on September 22, they were one win (or one Braves loss) away from a first-round bye. Ohtani is back from the injured list as a hitter; the regular season ends September 27 in San Francisco and the NLDS opens October 3. Sources: MLB.com, ESPN, AP, CBS Sports.
The context
The Los Angeles Dodgers are back where they spend every autumn: in the postseason, and with a real shot at history. On September 17, 2026, an 8-2 win in Cincinnati sealed a fifth straight NL West title, the club’s 13th in 14 seasons, and a 14th consecutive playoff appearance that ties Atlanta’s record streak of 1991-2005. At 97-60 after shutting out San Diego 7-0 on September 22, the two-time defending champions were one win away from a first-round bye, which is why “Dodgers game today” is one of the hottest searches in the US this week.
What’s left is short. The Dodgers close their homestand against the Padres on Thursday, September 24 (7:10 p.m. PT on Spectrum SportsNet LA), then finish the regular season with three games at the Giants from September 25 to 27. With a top-two seed they would skip the Wild Card round (from September 29) and open the NL Division Series on October 3 at Dodger Stadium, against the winner of the No. 3 vs No. 6 Wild Card Series. Playoff games move to national TV, with the NLDS on FOX and FS1. For the full bracket and dates, see our 2026 MLB playoffs guide.
The roster heading into October is strong but not spotless. Shohei Ohtani came off the injured list on September 23 after biceps and knee trouble, with 30 home runs to his name, but his pitching season is almost certainly over: he was pulled from the rotation in July and finished 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA. Tarik Skubal, the two-time AL Cy Young winner landed from Detroit at the deadline for Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith, anchors a rotation with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.51 ERA), while Blake Snell’s groin tightness is the main worry. Offseason signing Kyle Tucker starred in the clinching win.
The three-peat would be unprecedented in the modern era. The 2024 title ended a run of near-misses, and the 2025 World Series added a Game 7 for the ages: down in the ninth inning on the road in a winner-take-all game, the Dodgers rallied and won 5-4 in 11 innings, a first in MLB history. It was the club’s ninth championship, stretching back to the Brooklyn era and Jackie Robinson’s 1955 Dodgers.
Owned since 2012 by Guggenheim Baseball Management under Mark Walter, playing in MLB’s largest ballpark at Dodger Stadium, managed by Dave Roberts and built around Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers enter October as the team everyone else is measured against. Sources: MLB.com, ESPN, AP, CBS Sports, SI, True Blue LA, Dodgers Digest.
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People also ask
True or false?
Yes, including a historic Game 7 comeback in 2025, the first road ninth-inning rally in a winner-take-all World Series game. (MLB.com)
Clinched September 17 with an 8-2 win at Cincinnati, their 13th division title in 14 seasons. (MLB.com, AP)
Done before the August 3 deadline: Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith went to Detroit. (MLB.com, ESPN)
The trade never materialized. Holmes did not move to the Dodgers at the 2026 deadline. (CBS Sports)
As of September 23 their magic number was one; check the final standings, which lock on September 27. (Dodgers Digest, Yahoo Sports)