Dodgers Win and Reach 50 Games Over .500

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 at Dodger Stadium on August 15th, improving to 84-34 on the year. The score was tied 1-1 until the bottom of the 8th inning, when L.A. put five runs on the board to put it away.

The Dodgers are the first team since the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals to be 50 over .500 at some point in a season. At this rate, the Dodgers would finish the regular season with a record of 117-45, which would be a major league record. The record for most wins in a season is shared by the 1906 Chicago Cubs, who (116-36) and the 2001 Seattle Mariners (116-46).

While getting to 117 wins would be a great achievement, it would not necessarily mean the Dodgers would be an absolute lock to win the World Series. The 1906 Cubs lost the World Series to the Chicago White Sox, and the 2001 Mariners didn’t even win the American League Pennant, losing to the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Speaking of the Yankees, the 1998 Yankees had the next best regular season record at 114-48. New York also had an 11-2 post season record, including sweeping the San Diego Padres in the World Series. The 1954 Cleveland Indians are next on the list at 111-43 but were swept by the New York Giants in the World Series. The only other two teams with at least 110 regular season victories are the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (110-42) and the 1927 Yankees (110-44). Both of those teams won the World Series that year.