CINCINNATI (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers marked their record-tying 14th consecutive trip to MLB's postseason with a toast of bubbly after Monday night's 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
The bigger celebrations will come later.
“It’s hard to say it ever feels routine, but it is the expectation here," third baseman Max Muncy said. “I always laugh whenever we clinch a postseason spot, we just do a nice little toast. The guys that haven’t been here, they
kind of see that and they expect a little bit more. That happens when you clinch the division.”
The two-time defending World Series champions, who joined Milwaukee and Tampa Bay as teams who have secured playoff spots, cut their magic number to three for a fifth straight NL West title and 13th in 14 seasons.
Los Angeles tied the Atlanta Braves' postseason run from 1991 through 2005. The Braves made five World Series trips during that span, but won only in 1995.
“Thankfully we’re doing a little bit better than that," Muncy said of the Dodgers three titles and five trips to the Fall Classic during their run.
Tarik Skubal — who pitched seven shutout innings and allowed only three hits — said the way the Dodgers handled clinching a postseason spot was definitely different compared to clinching situations he encountered the past two seasons with Detroit.
“I think it just speaks to the people in this room and what they expect out of this team. That was cool. A little toast and move on. Forget it happened. We’ve got more to accomplish this season,” he said.
Dave Roberts, who is in his 11th season as manager, said his message during the toast was that the Dodgers have accomplished a lot to this point but haven't come close to playing their best baseball yet.
“We go through a lot of players every year, and guys find a way to step up, and so that’s the thing I’m probably most proud of, is the consistency of winning over the long term,” he said. "Any team, any organization can win in a given year where things line up, but to do it every single year when you’re expected to do this says something about the entire organization.”
The Dodgers (91-59) currently are the second seed in the NL. They are 2 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta and trail Milwaukee by 2 games for the top seed.
A first-round bye is important any time but especially this year for the Dodgers, who are not at full strength. First baseman Freddie Freeman has been plagued by right knee soreness and two-time NL MVP Shohei Ohtani is on the 15-day injured list due to right biceps inflammation.
“Given where our guys are health wise, to get that week would be huge. We’ve still got to play well to finish out the season to get to that point,” Roberts said before Monday's game.
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