Earlier than delving into any controversial subjects involving the entrance workplace and Dave Roberts, I figured I ought to share one thing that I stumbled throughout whereas in essay preparation. This truth made me really feel a bit higher concerning the sheer horror we witnessed in San Diego. Think about my delicate delight, once I realized this truth was about northern cousins, the rival San Francisco Giants. Whereas this truth shouldn’t be going to cease people from joking about The One-Win Workforce, any silver lining is welcome at this level.
As has been mentioned, The One Win Workforce shattered the franchise report for normal season wins with 111 victories. Accordingly, they’d a historic season towards the Giants the place the Dodgers prevailed in 15 out of 19 contests over six collection, a present of dominance not seen for the reason that Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Furthermore, by way of proportion factors, the Dodgers haven’t demonstrated such mastery over the Giants, for the reason that Dodgers had been often called the Brooklyn Superbas in 1899 (10 wins in 12 video games). That dominance could have had an unintended consequence, however first, exploring these 111 wins.
Head to Head with all people else
Contemplating the Dodgers’ mastery of the Giants in 2022, I acquired to questioning, other than groups in Pennsylvania and the Padres, the query stays how did the Dodgers fare towards the remainder of the league? The Dodgers infamously received 14 video games in 19 tries towards the Padres. That end result leaves us 82 Dodger wins to kind by way of.
- Arizona (14 W, 5 L)
- Atlanta (4 W, 2 L)
- Chicago-NL (7 W, 0 L)
- Chicago-AL (2 W, 1 L)
- Cincinnati (7 W, 0 L)
- Cleveland (1 W, 2 L)
- Colorado (11 W, 8 L)
- Detriot (2 W, 1 L)
- Kansas Metropolis (2 W, 1 L)
- Anaheim (4 W, 0 L)
- Miami (6 W, 1 L)
- Milwaukee (4 W, 3 L)
- Minnesota (4 W, 0 L)
- New York-NL (3 W, 4 L)
- Philadelphia (3 W, 4 L)
- Pittsburgh (1 W, 5 L) (Baseball!)
- St. Louis (4 W, 2 L)
- Washington (3 W, 3 L)
General, the Dodgers had been 54-22 (.711) towards the NL West. The Dodgers solely dropped the season collection with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, the Mets, and Cleveland. With the appearance of a balanced schedule subsequent season, anticipate the entire numbers to be fairly completely different with the pending lack of a house and street collection with every group within the NL West.
At first look, the Dodgers had a mastery of the league that had not been seen in group historical past, actually not within the Nationwide League for the reason that 1906 Chicago Cubs’ 116 common season victories — for all that comparability was value.
Giants’ Lament
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From our perspective (largely, as I can not account for the #obsessive), the Giants had been functionally irrelevant to those Dodgers as of this yr’s All-Star Break. Nevertheless, snark apart, the Giants had been statistically related for the ultimate wild card spot till the final week of the season, when Philadelphia limped to beat Milwaukee for the ultimate spot. In the end, the Giants completed at an even-steven 81 and 81, six video games out of the ultimate NL playoff spot, which immediately leads into the next hypothetical.
All of us bear in mind the Giants’ besting the Dodgers within the NL West Division Race in 2021. Even with 107 wins that yr, the Giants had been nonetheless solely 10-9 towards the Dodgers, which is hardly setting the world on hearth. In case, anybody was questioning for examples of the Giants’ dominance, one of the best examples I may discover are when the Giants received 13 out of 19 towards the Dodgers (most just lately in 2003), 13 out of 18 (most just lately in 1983), and 16 out of twenty-two (most just lately in 1958). The all-time mark could be 19 out of twenty-two in 1904.
As said above, the 2022 Giants completed six video games behind Philadelphia for the ultimate wild card spot. And in case you had been questioning, the Giants received their season collection towards Philadelphia, 5 to 1. So the Giants would have simply wanted to tie the Phillies’ general report with the intention to declare the final Wild Card spot. Consider it or not, the Giants went 18-10 in September (versus 21-34 the 2 months prior).
Right here’s the truth that would hold me up at night time if I used to be a fan of our northern cousins: if the Giants had repeated only one side of their 2021 marketing campaign, retaining every little thing else the identical, and had been as a substitute 10-9 towards the Dodgers in 2022, the Giants would have confronted the Cardinals as a substitute of the Phillies.
Who is aware of what would have occurred after that?
Possibly we might be coping with a tidal wave of preening smugness from the North?
As an alternative, the Dodgers’ doing traditionally nicely doomed the Giants to move to the golf course … till the Padres did the identical factor to the Dodgers a couple of week later. Consequently, underneath this hypothetical, the Dodgers would solely have received 105 video games, leaving Houston with one of the best general report. Because it stands, stated home-field benefit for the Dodgers would have been rendered moot assuming the identical end result. However would an NLDS exit after a 105-win, non-record-breaking marketing campaign be much less painful than what occurred? Most likely, however that’s meals for thought and for a later date.
Sure, these lacking wins may have come from elsewhere, as is the case with any season. If something you might argue that the Dodgers’ dominance was paper skinny as they fattened up on weaker in-division opponents to a historic diploma. However that assertion appears to be an instance of the publish hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.
I’m a Dodgers correspondent; the Giants imply nothing to me a great deal of the season. Simply as Dodger followers had been on the lookout for any motive why the Giants took the division crown final yr if we’re partaking in a hypothetical, wouldn’t a Large fan favor to consider that these wins would come on the expense of the Dodgers? In any case, if their group was just a bit bit higher towards the Dodgers, wouldn’t it stand to motive that it must be their group that may be having a probability-defying World Collection berth and Nationwide League pennant as a substitute of the Phillies?
The entire hypothetical above as a substitute of what’s really taking place: a barren farm system resorting to a have to attempt to overpay for Aaron Decide/Trea Turner/Carlos Rodon to return play within the Metropolis by the Bay whereas going through pending irrelevance with Arizona and Colorado. However like, who’s paying consideration? In any occasion, I needed to dig deep for any unexplored silver lining to this mess attributable to the Dodgers’ early exit.
