How the World Series-bound Dodgers flipped switch into 'unbeatable' mode

The defending champion Dodgers are headed back to the World Series. They swept the Brewers in the NLCS, outscoring them 15-4 in the four-game bludgeoning, including 5-1 in Game 4. 

The way things are going, they'll make quick work of whichever AL team they face in the Fall Classic, becoming the first repeat champion in Major League Baseball since 2000, when the Yankees completed a three-peat. 

Things could change and the Mariners or Blue Jays could certainly pull off the upset. That's why I said "the way things are going." As we sit in the aftermath of the bloodbath that was the NLCS, though, it sure seems very likely the Dodgers are winning this thing. 

It wasn't this easy for a while in 2025, either. 

Let's go back to Sept. 6. The Dodgers had just gotten swept by the lowly Pirates and then lost two straight games on walk-offs to the Orioles. They had lost seven of eight and were finishing a stretch where they went 22-32. They only had a one-game lead in the NL West. They were going to have to deal with a Wild Card Series instead of getting a bye. They were only 14 games over .500. 

This team, with its talent and high payroll, shouldn't be dealing with such things in September. They were supposed to be close to clinching a bye and getting everything lined up for the playoffs. 

And then that switch flipped from "middling" to "unbeatable." Virtually unbeatable, of course, because there's no such thing as an unbeatable professional sports team -- especially not in baseball.  

They'd win six of their next seven and close the season with wins in 15 of their final 20 games. They then outscored the Reds 18-9 in their two-game sweep in the Wild Card Series. 

Next up? The 96-win Phillies, whom many people picked to win the World Series. The Dodgers trailed by three runs late in Game 1. No matter. They won both games in Philly and finished the NLDS victory in four games. 

And then came the NLCS against the 97-win Brewers. The Brewers had won all six games between the two teams in the regular season and were riding high on the vibes of taking out their hated rival in the Cubs. 

This was child's play, really. 

Sure, the Dodgers had to sweat it out in Game 1, but Blake Snell totally dominated the Brewers' offense for eight scoreless innings. In Game 2, Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw the first playoff complete game for the Dodgers since Jose Lima did it in 2004. Tyler Glasnow was dominant in Game 3. Shohei Ohtani was dominant on the mound and at the plate in Game 4 with arguably the greatest individual performance in MLB history. 

Shohei Ohtani delivers the best playoff performance in MLB history as Dodgers clinch pennant vs. Brewers

Matt Snyder

The Brewers managed only four runs on 14 hits. That isn't the stat line for one game. That's for the entire series. Let that sink in. In four games, the Dodgers held the Brewers to four runs on 14 hits. 

The ultra-talented Dodgers bats haven't even truly awakened. They've just done what they needed to do. It felt like a football game where one team was so badly overmatched that they only ran the ball and didn't even need to pass. 

Well, other than Ohtani's three-HR game in Game 4. He's the best baseball player in the world and arguably the most talented player ever. He dwarfs a cast of fellow superstars. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are former MVPs. The pitching staff has five Cy Youngs (three from Clayton Kershaw, two for Snell) and three more pitchers who are talented enough to pitch like Cy Young winners in Ohtani, Glasnow and Yamamoto. 

Through 10 playoff games, the Dodgers in 2025 are 9-1. They've outscored their opponents 46-28. 

Since that Sept. 6 meltdown, the Dodgers have gone 24-6. That's an 80% clip of winning. Just to put some perspective on it, if a team won 80% of its games in the regular season, it would have a record of 130-32. 

That's how well the Dodgers are playing right now. 

If this continues, it'll be a short World Series with a back-to-back champion and a "thanks for playing" to the Blue Jays or Mariners -- because these Dodgers right now look unbeatable.