:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71365053/1423507880.0.jpg)
The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Chase Field in Phoenix, securing their ninth National League West title in the last ten years. The win was the Dodgers’ 98th of the season through just 141 games, making this the earliest a Los Angeles Dodgers team has clinched a division or league crown.
By date, the 2019 team actually clinched three days sooner, with a win in Game 146, at Baltimore. But that was their 146th game of the season, which started on March 28. This year, the MLB season didn’t start until April 7, thanks to a 99-day lockout that took up the bulk of the offseason and truncated spring training.
Here’s a look at the Dodgers’ clinching dates for either a division title (1969-present) or National League pennant (1958-68), excluding a pair of shortened campaigns — 1981 (by strike) and 2020 (by pandemic).
Los Angeles Dodgers division/pennant clinching dates
| Date | Game No. | Opponent | Location | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Game No. | Opponent | Location | Comment |
| Sep 29, 1959 | 156 | Braves | LA Coliseum | LA won 2-game tiebreaker |
| Sep 24, 1963 | 158 | Mets | Dodger Stadium | Drysdale 7 IP, 1 R, 7 K |
| Oct 2, 1965 | 161 | Braves | Dodger Stadium | Koufax CG, 13 K on 2-days rest |
| Oct 2, 1966 | 162 | Phillies | Philadelphia | Koufax CG, 10 K on 2-days rest |
| Oct 1, 1974 | 161 | Astros | Houston | clinched with Reds loss to Braves |
| Sep 20, 1977 | 151 | Giants | San Francisco | Rick Monday 2-run HR |
| Sep 23, 1978 | 155 | Padres | Dodger Stadium | Lee Lacy go-ahead HR in 4-run 7th |
| Sep 30, 1983 | 160 | Giants | Dodger Stadium | Braves loss earlier clinched before LA won |
| Oct 2, 1985 | 158 | Braves | Atlanta | Reds lost to clinch division before LA won |
| Sep 26, 1988 | 157 | Padres | San Diego | Mickey Hatcher 8th-inning single wins it |
| Sep 30, 1995 | 143* | Padres | San Diego | *144-game season |
| Oct 2, 2004 | 161 | Giants | Dodger Stadium | Steve Finley walk-off grand slam |
| Sep 25, 2008 | 159 | Padres | Dodger Stadium | clinched with D-backs loss |
| Oct 3, 2009 | 161 | Rockies | Dodger Stadium | Kershaw 10 K over 6 scoreless |
| Sep 19, 2013 | 153 | D-backs | Phoenix | AJ Ellis game-winning HR |
| Sep 24, 2014 | 159 | Giants | Dodger Stadium | Kershaw 8 IP, 1 R, 11 K |
| Sep 29, 2015 | 157 | Giants | San Francisco | Kershaw 13-K masterpiece |
| Sep 25, 2016 | 156 | Rockies | Dodger Stadium | Culberson walk-off HR in Vin Scully home finale |
| Sep 22, 2017 | 154 | Giants | Dodger Stadium | Bellinger HR, Rich Hill 9 K |
| Oct 1, 2018 | 163 | Rockies | Dodger Stadium | Buehler dominates tiebreaker |
| Sep 10, 2019 | 146 | Orioles | Baltimore | Buehler 11 K in 7 scoreless |
| Sep 13, 2022 | 141 | D-backs | Phoenix | Kershaw 7 scoreless IP; LA hit 3 HR |
The earliest any Dodgers team has ever clinched was in 1955, when Brooklyn — on its way to winning the first World Series in franchise history — clinched the pennant on September 8. That was in Game 138 of a 154-game season. This year’s Dodgers play a longer schedule, but also have a larger lead, clinching with 21 games still remaining in a 162-game season.
Loading comments...