A lot has been manufactured from the similarities between the efficiency of the Dodgers on this 12 months’s Nationwide League Championship Sequence and within the 1965 World Sequence. Because the Dodgers head to their fourth World Sequence in eight years, holding up their accomplishment to that of their brethren 59 years in the past offers each a distinction and a comparability.
What’s the identical? Lock-down pitching within the victories and lop-sided scores all through. The ‘65 Dodgers were the only team in baseball history until the current Dodgers to have the first six games of a postseason series decided by four or more runs.
Back when the postseason consisted only of the World Series, the ‘65 Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins in seven games. They gave up only two runs in their four victories — including three shutouts — while giving up 18 runs in three one-sided losses.
The current Dodgers notched two shutouts in the four wins over the New York Mets (after shutting out the San Diego Padres in the last two games of the NL Division Series). Yet they surrendered 19 runs in two losses to the Mets.
But dig deeper and the differences between these Dodgers teams are staggering and stark, speaking directly to how baseball has changed in philosophy, planning and execution.
Let’s begin with pitching.
The ’65 Dodgers had three starters gobble up 49.2 of the 60 innings within the sequence. The names are acquainted: Sandy Koufax (24 innings in three begins; 0.38 earned-run common), Claude Osteen (14 in two; 0.64 ERA) and Don Drysdale (11.2 in two; 3.86 ERA). 4 relievers shared the opposite 10.1 innings.
That’s proper, the ’65 Dodgers wanted solely seven pitchers to navigate a seven-game World Sequence. The present Dodgers wanted seven simply to get via the Recreation 6 clincher in opposition to the Mets.
No reliever on the ’65 Dodgers pitched greater than 3.2 innings in opposition to the Twins. Koufax threw two full video games. Osteen and Drysdale every threw one … Again up for a sec: Koufax pitched a shutout in Recreation 5 on Oct. 11 and one other shutout in Recreation 7 on Oct. 14. No surprise he’s thought-about the best Dodgers pitcher of all time and no surprise he was pressured to retire a 12 months later due to excruciating arm ache.
The present Dodgers employed 5 totally different starters who mixed for a paltry 21.1 innings. Jack Flaherty pitched seven innings in Recreation 1 however no different starter went even 5 innings. The Dodgers leaned on 10 totally different relievers — together with two who additionally began video games — to eat up 41.2 innings and land within the World Sequence in opposition to the New York Yankees.
The World Sequence was merely a continuation of the common season for the ’65 Dodgers. Koufax (26-8 in 335.2 innings), Drysdale (23-12 in 308.1 innings) and Osteen (15-15 in 287 innings) made 127 begins and mixed to pitch 931 of the crew’s 1,476 innings. Solely 9 different pitchers have been known as upon all season.
The present Dodgers used 17 totally different beginning pitchers — bear in mind Elieser Hernández? — and gave new which means to the time period 40-man roster by using exactly that variety of pitchers to get via 1,445.2 regular-season innings.
How do the offenses examine? They don’t.
The ’65 Dodgers couldn’t hit a lick. They went 97-65 within the common season whereas averaging solely 3.75 runs a sport. House runs have been as uncommon as a left-handed catcher, with outfielder Lou Johnson and rookie second baseman Jim Lefebvre main the crew with 12 every. Ron Pretty drove in a team-high 70 runs.
The present Dodgers went 98-64 whereas averaging 5.2 runs a sport. Eight gamers hit not less than a dozen dwelling runs, led by Shohei Ohtani’s 54, and the crew blasted 233, almost 3 times the 78 homers hit in ’65.
The ’65 Dodgers prefer to run, led by Maury Wills and his league-leading 94 stolen bases. The present Dodgers are extra environment friendly on the bottom paths, nevertheless, profitable in 86% of their 159 stolen-base makes an attempt. The ’65 Dodgers have been profitable in solely 69% of their 249 makes an attempt.
The pattern carried over into the postseason. The ’65 Dodgers stole 9 bases in the course of the World Sequence however have been caught six occasions. The present Dodgers have been profitable in six of seven makes an attempt in opposition to the Mets.
The strong offense of the present Dodgers continued as their 46 runs have been probably the most ever in an NLCS. A significant motive was their endurance — they drew a report 42 walks.
The ’65 Dodgers drew solely 13 walks en path to scoring 24 runs within the World Sequence, however 21 runs got here of their 4 victories, ensuing within the abundance of one-sided outcomes that invited comparisons to the present crew.
For probably the most half, nevertheless, variations have been extra pronounced than similarities, and illustrate how a lot baseball has modified in 59 years.
Postseason sequence with six consecutive video games determined by 4 or extra runs
2024 NLCSGame 1: Dodgers 9, Mets 0Game 2: Mets 7, Dodgers 3Game 3: Dodgers 8, Mets 0Game 4: Dodgers 10, Mets 2Game 5: Mets 12, Dodgers 6Game 6: Dodgers 10, Mets 5
1965 World SeriesGame 1: Twins 8, Dodgers 2Game 2: Twins 5, Dodgers 1Game 3: Dodgers 4, Twins 0Game 4: Dodgers 7, Twins 2Game 5: Dodgers 7, Twins 0Game 6: Twins 5, Dodgers 1Game 7: Dodgers 2, Twins 0
