Dodgers clinch 5th straight NL West title
The Los Angeles Dodgers appear to have put that early September losing streak well behind them, as the club defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-2 on Friday to clinch its fifth straight NL West division title.
It took a historic effort from Cody Bellinger, who hit his 39th home run of the season to give the Dodgers a 4-1 lead and also break the record for most home runs by a rookie in the NL.
With only nine games remaining in the season, Los Angeles also confirmed it will have home-field advantage in the National League Division Series, which begins Oct. 6. The Washington Nationals, who clinched the NL East earlier this month, will own home-field advantage in the other NLDS.
Los Angeles' mark of consistency also places it with some elite company. The Dodgers are now just the sixth club in MLB history to win at least five consecutive division titles, joining the 1971-75 Oakland Athletics, the 1995-2005 Atlanta Braves, the 1995-99 Cleveland Indians, the 1998-2006 New York Yankees, and the 2007-11 Philadelphia Phillies, according to Sports Illustrated's Jay Jaffe.
The Giants were the last team other than the Dodgers to emerge as NL West champions, doing so in 2012 when they finished eight games ahead of Los Angeles. In 2011, the Arizona Diamondbacks took home the title with a 94-68 record.