Commentary: The excruciating conclusion of the Dodgers’ glorious season
The Los Angeles Dodgers have come to rest. They’re at home for the final time in 2019. The season ended with a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies to claim their first World Series championship.
There was a final game. But it’s over. The season is over. The last out was a three-run walk in the top of the ninth — one that led to the final out — and it’s over. They are headed to the World Series and they will bring a winner home to Los Angeles and a team that’s going to have a lot to celebrate.
They’ve done it. They’ve won an entire season.
That’s something to be celebrated.
It’s something to be talked about.
The Dodgers have put themselves in a position to have a lot of fun over the next two days and, in doing so, can take some time to sit back and just appreciate what they’ve accomplished.
They’re the first repeat champion in the World Series since the St. Louis Cardinals won back-to-back titles in 1998-2000. It’s the longest championship drought in major league history. They’re on their way to their second straight World Series title. This is going to be a very proud Dodgers team after the season.
The question is: If they are, how to they celebrate?
Because the Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t going to celebrate because they were defeated in a one-game World Series sweep in Philadelphia. They were defeated because their season ended on the final day, when they were swept by the Phillies for the second time this season.
The season concluded with a game that was a very pleasant surprise when it was won by the Dodgers. They beat the Phillies, 3-1, in the final game of the season in the process, and to finish the season with a sweep was very pleasing. That would be a surprise to the Dodgers.
It’s also a surprise to fans. What had seemed to be a dominant team — a team that could contend every game —