Dodgers quest to rewrite history pits them against legendary Yankees runs

In their quest for a third consecutive World Series championship, the Dodgers will encounter obstacles in some of the usual suspects.

The Mets, who picked up Freddy Peralta and Bo Bichette. The Blue Jays, who added Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto. The Yankees, who re-signed Cody Bellinger.

Over the next nine-plus months, however, the Dodgers’ competition won’t be limited to the 29 other teams in the league.

The Dodgers will also be taking on history.

They will be measured against champions spanning multiple generations, from Babe Ruth’s Yankees to Mickey Mantle’s to Derek Jeter’s.

They will be chasing the legacies of every powerhouse team from the Big Red Machine to the Orioles of Frank Robinson and Jim Palmer, the three-peating Athletics of Reggie Jackson to the Braves of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.

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As baseball’s only repeat champions in the last 25 years, the Dodgers already belong in the company of these dominant champions of the past. But the group led by Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman now has a chance to elevate itself in the sport’s mythical realm.

In front of the Dodgers is not only the opportunity to make history but also rewrite it. If they win the World Series this year, they will have a legitimate claim as the greatest team of all time.

Los Angeles recognizes when history is being made, and similar to when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant dominated the NBA or when Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart powered the most recent USC dynasty, the people here know the Dodgers have the kind of team they will be telling their grandchildren about.

The appetite for Dodgers-related information has become insatiable in Los Angeles.

The first time I spoke to Ohtani, he was still playing for the Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japanese league. I visited the hometown of Roki Sasaki and spoke to a close friend of his late father, who died in the 2011 tsunami that devastated the region. I was able to interview Yoshinobu Yamamoto and interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda about their relationship, in the process learning the superstitious Sonoda wears lucky underwear on days when Yamamoto pitches.

With two more stars in Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz joining the Dodgers this year, there will be even more stories.

This is what our customers demand and deserve, particularly in what could be a generation-defining season for the Dodgers.

Would a third consecutive championship, or a fourth in six years, make the Dodgers the best team ever?

Manager Dave Roberts thinks so.

Over the last few decades, Roberts said, “The only team that compares is the Yankees.”

As great as the Atlanta Braves were in the 1990s, they won only one World Series. The San Francisco Giants won three titles from 2010–2014, but their offense was always mediocre, which is why they missed the playoffs twice in that five-year stretch.

The Yankees won the championship three years running, from 1998–2000. Including the 1996 World Series, they won the World Series four times in five years.

But the game has changed since then. A luxury tax was implemented to reduce spending on player salaries, and one of the side effects was supposed to be increased competitive balance. The postseason is also harder to navigate now, as the field has increased from six teams to 12.

What other teams could be compared to the Dodgers?

The Athletics or Reds of the 1970s? They never had to play a Wild Card or Division Series.

The Yankees of the 1950s and ’60s? They advanced directly from the regular season to the World Series, eliminating any possibility of an early-round upset.

By no fault of their own, no pre-integration team merits consideration, and that includes the 1927 Yankees. The player pool back then was much more limited than it is today.

Relative to their contemporaries, the Dodgers could be more loaded than any of the above-mentioned teams.

In theory, talent would be diluted in a 30-team league, but the Dodgers have seven former All-Stars in their projected lineup, counting Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy. They have four more in their starting rotation — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow.

They have the most complete 40-man roster in baseball, with pitchers such as River Ryan and Gavin Stone who would be in the rotation plans of almost any other team. The Dodgers might not have a generational talent in the minors, but their farm system is marked by unmatched depth.

In Roberts’ view, there are factors beyond baseball ability and on-field performance to consider.

“I would say there’s more Dodger fans than there ever has been,” Roberts said. “Certainly because of social media, because of Shohei, because of our winning, [because of] Yamamoto. And the Yankees sort of did that in the ’90s. They were like the team of the world. So I do think that when you do something like that, that matters, too.

“As far as just on the playing field, that’s what you guys are for,” he added. “That’s what makes sports great, so people can debate.”

That’s why we’re here. To chronicle the efforts of a dynasty to enhance its legacy. To place what is done or said into context. To provide information that can inspire more spirited debates.

Join us.