Dodgers Aiming For Playoff Success

On a typically warm October evening in Southern California 16 years ago, an injured Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers limped to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning to face the premier reliever of the day, Oakland's Dennis Eckersley. The A's led 4-3 in the first game of the 1988 World Series, and they so outclassed the Dodgers that this matchup seemed emblematic of the entire series. As things would turn out, it was.

Eckersley was only a season and a half into his transformation from starter to closer, and his most dominant seasons were still ahead of him, but he had already established a reputation as an untouchable stopper with pinpoint control.

Kirk Gibson, meanwhile, was a wounded warrior who could barely walk, let alone run. His 1988 regular season would earn him the National League Most Valuable Player Award, but the numbers he had put up were surprisingly average. On this night, against this pitcher, he seemed to have no shot, and neither did the Dodgers. It would take a miracle.

What happened next, of course, would become a part of baseball history. After looking hopelessly overmatched on consecutive swinging strikes, Gibson somehow willed his broken body to lunge at a backdoor slider and sent it deep into the night, shocking the world. The Dodgers won that game and three of the next four to take the series four games to one.

But they haven't won a postseason game since.

The Dodgers have always seemed a bit too comfortable. They've been satisfied with contending, and haven't worried about winning. Management always appeared to feel that they had the best product in town. (No one north of Disneyland had any interest in the Anaheim Angels.)

The fans would come, and even if they were streaming out into the parking lots by the seventh inning, it really didn't affect the bottom line. The team's record would rise and fall through various levels of mediocrity, but each successive year without a championship did little to affect attendance numbers, as seen in the sampling below.

1986: 3,023,208 (1st of 12 NL teams), 73 wins
1988: 2,980,262 (2nd of 12 NL teams), 94 wins
1992: 2,473,266 (2nd of 12 NL teams), 63 wins
1996: 3,188,454 (2nd of 14 NL teams), 90 wins
1999: 3,095,346 (4th of 16 NL teams), 77 wins
2003: 3,138,626 (2nd of 16 NL teams), 85 wins

But attendance figures and financial success have not translated into postseason victories or World Series appearances. During this 16-year dry spell, in an era often decried as one of big-market dominance, 24 other teams have won games in the playoffs.

The other teams who haven't won a playoff game in the same time frame are the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos, Kansas City Royals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, which puts the Dodgers in the company of baseball's version of the third world. (The Dodgers have made two playoff appearances during this stretch. They were division champions in 1995, when they were swept in three games by the Cincinnati Reds, and the NL wild card team in 1996, when they were swept again, this time by the Atlanta Braves.)

Recently, though, things have been looking up. First, the Angels won the 2002 World Series, earning a legion of fans in the process and reminding the Dodgers of what they used to strive for. Second, owner Frank McCourt and general manager Paul DePodesta took over, steering the ship in a new direction.

Suddenly, this year's version of the team seems interested in doing more than just bringing fans out to Chavez Ravine. Their current record of 65-45 gives them the third best record in baseball, behind only the Yankees and Cardinals, and even though their division lead is only six and a half games, the rest of the NL West seems to be focused on competing for the wildcard.

Here's how the Dodgers have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack:

* Just in time for free agency, third baseman Adrian Beltre is enjoying a career year, having already notched his 30th homerun while keeping his average above .320 for most of the season.

* Their defense is solid, to say the very least. They've made only 29 errors in the infield, which is second in the National League, and their overall total of 49 is the lowest in baseball. Shortstop Cesar Izturis and second baseman Alex Cora, both hitting .300 at the top of the order, have developed into probably the National League's best double-play combination.

* If they're ahead after six innings, it's game over. Eric Gagne continues to be the best closer in the National League, but the entire bullpen has followed his lead, compiling a 2.95 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP.

The past regime would have been content with the status quo, but DePodesta dealt fearlessly at the trading deadline, moving team leader Paul LoDuca, bullpen stalwart Guillermo Mota, and outfielder Juan Encarnacion to the Florida Marlins in exchange for starter Brad Penny, first baseman Hee Seop Choi, and a minor-leaguer. He also made a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for catcher Brent Mayne and center fielder Steve Finley.

The message was simple. These Dodgers are no longer willing to settle for leading the league in attendance and beach balls. DePodesta improved his team for the rest of the season with an eye towards being competitive in future years, as well.

Thanks to his guidance, Dodger fans can look forward to watching their team win games in October for the first time in 16 years, and this time, it won't take a miracle.