Hot: The LA Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have played tremendous baseball since the All Star break going (23-3). Last night, they completed a three game sweep of the New York Mets getting the key, tying, two run home run from pinch hitter, Andre Ethier in the bottom of the ninth inning before winning in 12 innings.

The Dodgers have won 40 of 48 games and lead the second place Arizona Diamondbacks by seven and a half games in the NL West.

With this hot streak, the city of Los Angeles is really responding to the Dodgers, whose popularity and performance had waned in recent years.

The Dodgers are one of the great franchises in all of sports. As one of their owners, the former NBA great Earvin “Magic” Johnson said when buying in, they are a great “brand.”

Their history is rich with production especially within the National League and peaked from (1947-1966) when the Dodgers, in Brooklyn until 1958, and then in Los Angeles, won half the pennants contested in those 20 seasons.

The Dodgers have not won the National League Pennant since 1988 which was also the last year that they won the World Series. They are currently experiencing the longest pennant drought in Dodgers’ history, certainly since the advent of World Series play in 1903.

Current major league managers, Kirk Gibson, coincidentally with the Diamondbacks, and Mike Scioscia, with the other LA team, the highly disappointing Angels, each hit huge, even epic home runs in that 1988 Dodgers’ title run.

Much has happened since and there is a long way to go this season. Certainly, who knows about post season?

At this point, however, the Dodgers great run of 40 wins in 48 games deserves much credit.

Click here to see Gibson’s epic home run

Click here to see Scioscia’s epic home run

1988 Dodgers