The dust on the 2024 season has settled, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are wearing the crown. Now, it’s time to ask a question that has no answer: Was this the best team the Boys in Blue have ever trotted out?
Looking at the roster, it’s easy to make that argument. The Dodgers had three MVPs in their starting lineup (Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman) and another one who sat out the postseason due to injury (Clayton Kershaw). Those four players are almost sure-fire Hall of Famers.
But stacked rosters aren’t new for the Dodgers.
Fifty-six total players, managers and executives in the National Baseball Hall of Fame have ties to the franchise. So what are the contenders for the best Dodgers team of all time? Let’s take a look.
1955
This is the squad that finally broke through. The Dodgers lone title in Brooklyn produced what stands as one of the franchises best-ever squads.
Led by legendary catcher Roy Campanella, who won the final of his three National League MVP awards that year, the Dodgers rolled through the regular season with 98 wins on its way to a win over the New York Yankees in an epic seven-game World Series.
Notable stars for this squad include Campanella, Johnny Podres, Gil Hodges, Duke Snider, Don Newcombe and of course, Jackie Robinson, who won his only World Series title that year.
1955 was also a breakout for another Dodgers star: Vin Scully. In his fifth year in the booth in Brooklyn, Scully became nationally known for his calls that season.
“‘Ladies and gentlemen, the Brooklyn Dodgers are the champions of the world,” Scully famously said when the Dodgers finally sealed the title.
The Dodgers dominated their way through the National League, winning the pennant by 13.5 games. With the monster lineup this squad sported, there’s a more than justified argument that it’s the best in team history.
1963
The Dodgers had plenty of success in the 1960s, but it’s hard to argue against the 1963 squad as the best of that era.
This is when legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax was at his peak. He won both the National League’s Cy Young and MVP awards en route to a 99-63 record in a stacked league.
The lineup was consistent, led by stars like Jim Gillam, Maury Wills and Tommy Davis. Once again, the Dodgers faced the Yankees in a best-of-seven World Series, but this one was over swiftly with an L.A. sweep.
1988
We all know how Game 1 of the 1988 World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics ended, but don’t forget that this team was a wire-to-wire juggarnaut.
Kirk Gibson’s home run will forever be one of the more iconic moments in franchise history, but he was a monster in the lineup that year, culminating with a National League MVP award. Orel Hershiser pitched the best year of his career, taking the NL Cy Young, and Tommy Lasorda took home his second World Series title as Dodgers manager.
Even going into the World Series as heavy underdogs against Oakland, the Dodgers showed they were capable with dominant pitching to take that series in five. Sounds familiar, right?
2017
This team didn’t win the World Series, but it’s worth a shoutout. The 2017 Dodgers still stand out to fans as one of the more lovable iterations of the Boys in Blue.
The list of characters on this team can go on and on, including then-rookie Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Chase Utley, Alex Wood, Yu Darvish and Kenley Jansen. There’s also some stars still on the current roster like Clayton Kershaw and Kike Hernandez.
Now, this Dodgers’ squad won 104 games in the regular season, among the most in franchise history. They fell to the Houston Astros in seven games in the World Series, but as fans know, the legitimacy of that title has come into question. Many Dodgers fans treat this team as a champion, and if it was, it would be regarded as one of the best.
2024
And that brings us to the present day. If you want to play the name game, this squad may take the cake between Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and more.
This year’s squad won more games than any other in the league with 98 and, all things considered, dominated throughout much of October. After a five-game scare with the San Diego Padres in the NLDS, the Dodgers ran through both New York teams en route for their 8th World Series title.
Which Dodgers team do you think is the best of all time?
