During the Los Angeles Dodgers’ October rampage to the NL pennant, the defending World Series champions have actually been the dark eminence that many baseball people have long feared they would become.

The Brewers were among the leaders in runs, batting average and strikeout rate, but the Dodgers held them to four runs in four games and got them to whiff at a higher rate than normal.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series with a two-way performance for the ages.

From highly-touted arrival to Roki sensation, the Dodgers are just now receiving top results from their newest Japanese star.

The Dodgers have won eight World Series titles in franchise history: 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988, 2020 and 2024. Manager Dave Roberts has overseen the club's last two championships and this marks his fifth appearance in the World Series as Los Angeles skipper.

Friday night at Dodger Stadium is a night no one who went to the game will forget. Diehard Los Angeles Dodgers fan Vanessa Bryant had a celebratory moment after the historic NLCS victory against the Milwaukee Brewers that sent the team back to the World Series with Freddie Freeman’s wife and one of her good friends Chelsea Freeman.

Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, Anthony Banda and Roki Sasaki combined to pitch 3.1 shutout innings, allowing just one hit as they protected a two-run lead. While that dominance may have come as a surprise to those who have been watching the Dodgers all year, All-Star third baseman Max Muncy expected nothing less.