Dodgers set new franchise record with 107th win
After winning 106 games in each of the last two full seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers have set a new franchise best with their 107th victory of the 2022 season. The record-breaking victory was a 1-0 extra-innings win over the San Diego Padres.
"That's a lot of wins if you really think about it," Freddie Freeman said, according to The Associated Press. "A lot of good things have to happen from a lot of guys. Not just 26 guys, but 40-to-45 guys have to contribute to be able to do that."
Freeman cashed in Mookie Betts with a single in the 10th inning for the only run of the contest.
Freddie! pic.twitter.com/3uhwO3JBA6
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 29, 2022
With the Dodgers operating with a closer-by-committee approach after Craig Kimbrel's recent troubles, Tommy Kahnle recorded the save.
L.A. has seven games remaining in the season to continue padding its new record. With a win percentage now at .690, the Dodgers still trail their club-best mark of .717 set during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign with a 43-17 record. Prorated over a full 162-game season, the Dodgers were on pace to win 116 games that year.
The club already locked up its ninth division title in the last 10 seasons while also securing the top record in the National League, ensuring home-field advantage through at least the NLCS.
"Once Oct. 11 hits, no one's going to care how many wins you had in the regular season," Freeman said. "That's the big thing. We're here, we're in the regular season, we might as well get as many wins as we possibly can. You've got to play good baseball from start to finish to be able to accomplish something like this, and we've been doing it."
Since the beginning of 2019, the Dodgers now possess an incredible plus-1,000 run differential, the best in the majors over that span, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. The Houston Astros are second at plus-701.
Incidentally, the Astros are also the only threat to overtake the Dodgers for the best overall record in MLB this year, sitting at 102-54 with six games remaining. Any combination of two Dodgers wins or Astros losses will clinch home-field advantage through the World Series for L.A.