The Los Angeles Dodgers are opening the 2026 postseason on Saturday afternoon with a shot at something no National League club has ever done: win a third straight World Series.
Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves starts another October run for a team that has made this part of the calendar feel routine. This is the Dodgers’ 14th consecutive postseason trip, matching the 1991-2005 Braves for the longest streak in MLB history. But the bigger headline is the one hovering over everything else - a chance to complete a three-peat.
That kind of run is rare in baseball. It has happened only four times, and the New York Yankees are responsible for all of them, winning three in a row in 1936-39, 1949-1953 and 1998-2000.
The other came from the 1972-74 Oakland Athletics. No NL team has ever pulled it off.
Manager Dave Roberts is not turning that into a talking point inside the clubhouse.
“I really don’t,” Roberts said. “I think for me, it’s a fallout of winning this year.
This year is different, this team is different. I understand there’s a lot of the same players, it’s still a different season.
There’s going to be different challenges. Our guys understand what’s at stake.
“I think for me, it’s balancing the importance, the opportunity that we have. Versus trying to add more pressure than there already is.”
Roberts said the Dodgers are trying to keep their focus locked on the series in front of them, not the history they could make down the line.
“With our guys, I think they’re pretty well trained to just focus on the here and now,” Roberts added. “What’s done is done the last couple years. We’re all aware we have a chance to do something that’s never been done in the National League, and what it would mean for this franchise and fanbase, but it just makes life more difficult when you don’t focus on the job.
“That’s winning this next series. I think our guys are pretty focused on that.”
There’s another piece of history hanging over the Dodgers, too. A title this season would give them their first championship team to also finish with 100 regular-season wins. They reached that number in the regular-season finale against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park, marking the 12th 100-win team in franchise history and the sixth under Roberts.
The franchise’s high-water mark for wins in a season that ended with a World Series title is 99, set by the 1963 Dodgers. Last year’s championship team finished with 98 wins before its postseason march.
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The postseason atmosphere around Dodger Stadium will come with a noticeable menu change for fans heading to the National League Division Series. Levy has rolled out a fresh batch of game-day food items for the Dodgers 2026 NLDS home dates, adding everything from a Spam musubi dog and orange chicken fries to a colossal burger, wing sampler, chicharron and guacamole, and a churro waffle ice cream sandwich.
The new offerings are set to be available for all NLDS games, giving the ballpark a little extra October flavor as the series unfolds. There is also a chance they stick around into the NL Championship Series if the Dodgers advance, which means the food conversation could last just as long as the baseball one. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Just Made An NLDS Rotation Choice Fans Did Not Expect
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP, will not take the ball in the opener, though he is expected to pitch later in the series. Dave Roberts made it clear the Dodgers are choosing from a deep group of starters, with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow also in the mix, and that kind of flexibility is exactly why this decision stood out as soon as it was announced. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Catch A Huge NLDS Break As Braves Rotation Thins
The Dodgers got an early opening in their NLDS matchup with Atlanta, as the Braves will be short-handed on the pitching side heading into the series. Martn Prez was placed on the 15-day injured list with lower back inflammation, and Braves manager Walt Weiss said Prez and Bryce Elder will not be available for the Division Series, leaving Atlanta to piece together its rotation with other arms.
For Los Angeles, the news changes the shape of the matchup before a first pitch is even thrown. The Braves are expected to lean on pitchers such as AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie to handle the early innings in the first two games, while Prez and Elder could still be options later if Atlanta survives long enough to reach the NLCS. [Read more 🡒]