After the San Diego Padres won eight of the 13 regular season games against the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, they were predicted to win the National League Division Series by several baseball experts.
However, the Dodgers emerged victorious. But one of their stars believes the Padres would have been the last team standing had they won the NLDS.
“That series against the Padres,” Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech told USA TODAY Sports, “was the most intense series ever. They were so good. If we had lost to them, I’m convinced they would have been the ones to win the World Series.”
Despite last year’s tough defeat, the Padres are confident they’ll meet the Dodgers in the postseason again but the National League West has become even stronger this offseason. The Dodgers signed several free agents, the Padres added Nick Pivetta, the San Francisco Giants brought in Willy Adames and Justin Verlander, and the Arizona Diamondbacks traded for Corbin Burnes.
“Our division now is by far the best division in baseball,” Manny Machado of the Padres said. “Hands down. We’ve got four teams who could make the playoffs. The Dodgers are [bleeping] good, man. But we’re excited to take them down. There’s nothing better than having a championship team in your division that you can knock off.”
The Dodgers might have a target on their backs, but the Padres don’t care. San Diego is ready to challenge Los Angeles and the other potential contenders in the NL West. After all, the Padres were only one win away from playing the New York Mets for the pennant.
San Diego is content flying under the radar. Their pitching staff doesn’t boast nine potential starters or five closers. They’re not expected to win 103 games, nor are they projected to reach 93 victories again.
“But no one was picking us to do what we did last year either,” said Xander Bogaerts. “We were one of the best two teams in baseball at the end of the season.”
The Dodgers and Padres met once during spring training and won’t face off again until June, when the Dodgers visit San Diego for a three-game series starting June 9.