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How 2022 Dodgers compare to franchise's other great teams
Jul 24, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates with his team scoring a run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

How 2022 Dodgers compare to three of the franchise's other great teams

By Matthew Brown  |  Last updated 9/9/22

Through 136 games, the Dodgers are 94-42 and hold a 19-game lead over the second-place San Diego Padres. The Dodgers must go 13-13 over the season's final weeks to break the franchise record (106) for wins in a season. They are unlikely to break the MLB season record of 117 wins.

Of course, the number of regular-season wins won't matter to Dodgers fans unless they win 11 games in October. In March, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts predicted Los Angeles would win the World Series.

Although the season hasn't played out, it's clear this team could become the best in Dodgers history. Here's how it compares to three of the best Dodgers teams of all time:

2017 Dodgers (104-58) | Lost World Series in seven games to Astros

The 2017 team went on a magical 44-7 run during the summer. Sports Illustrated called the Dodgers one of the greatest teams of all time that August. Although the Dodgers made it to the World Series for the first time in 29 years, they lost to the Astros of cheating scandal infamy.

Why 2022 team is better so far: Star power | The 2017 team was special, with Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager and Justin Turner as the top hitters. But this year's team with Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Trea Turner has the edge in star power over the 2017 team -- the first Dodgers team to win 100 games since 1974.

Roberts also believes the 2022 is more dominant: "We’ve just kind of taken leads and kept them, or regained a lead in the middle innings. There’s not as much dramatics as there was in '17.”

1988 Dodgers (94-67-1) | Won World Series over A's in five games

The 1988 Dodgers are arguably one of the most famous MLB teams of all time. After finishing fourth the previous season, the 1988 team beat the odds with a World Series win over the favored A's, who won 104 regular-season games. Who can forget the dramatic, winning home run in Game 1 by the Dodgers' ailing Kirk Gibson, which set the tone for the rest of the Series?

Why 2022 team is better so far: Hitting | OPS+ is a stat that normalizes OPS across the entire league and accounts for external factors like ballparks. Using that stat, it is clear the 2022 team is much better offensively.

In 1988, the Dodgers had a team OPS+ of 97 (excluding pitchers), meaning they were three percent worse than the average team when it came to getting on base and hitting for power. The 2022 Dodgers lead MLB in OPS+ at 115, meaning they are 15 percent better than an average team.

1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (98-55-1) | Won World Series over Yankees in seven games

The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers had a stacked lineup of NL MVP Roy Campanella (.318, 32 HRs, 107 RBI), MVP runner-up Duke Snider (.309, 42 HRs, 136 RBI) and Jackie Robinson (.256, 8 HRs, 36 RBI). They also had ace Don Newcombe (20-5, 3.20 ERA). This team won the only championship for the Dodgers in Brooklyn and is considered by many as the best Dodgers team of all time.

Why 2022 team is better so far: Pitching | The 1955 team had star power, just as the 2022 teams does. It also had outstanding hitting, with an OPS+ of 115, the same as this year's team.

But the 2022 team's pitching gives it the edge. Even with Newcombe and rookie Sandy Koufax, the Brooklyn squad had an ERA+ of 111. (ERA+ takes a player's ERA and normalizes it across the entire league, taking into account external factors like ballparks and opponents. An ERA+ of 100 is average pitching.)

This year’s team has an ERA+ of 146 with the help of standout seasons from Tony Gonsolin (16-1, 2.10 ERA) and Tyler Anderson (14-3, 2.73 ERA).

Other great Dodgers teams

1953 (105-49) Lost World Series in six games to Yankees. League MVP Campanella hit .312 with 41 HRs and had 142 RBI.

1963: (99-63) Won World Series in a sweep over the Yankees. Koufax went 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA.

1965: (97-65) Won World Series in seven games over the Twins. Koufax was 26-8 with a 2.04 ERA.

1959: (88-68) Won World Series in six games over the White Sox in their second season in Los Angeles.

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