The Los Angeles Dodgers are assembling a lot of talent as they march toward a season where they could win the title for the third straight season. Ultimately, the New York Yankees were the last team to accomplish this from 1998 to 2000. Derek Jeter discussed the Dodgers replicating the Yankees dynasty while explaining what needs to happen for a third title to happen, according to Casino Beats.
“I’m sure they’ll be heavy favorites again to win. When you have a great team, you also have to have a lot of breaks. In four of our first five years, we got a lot of breaks. Great teams make their own breaks, but a lot of things have to go your way as well,” Jeter told Casino Beats.
The Dodgers won the 2024 World Series, ironically, against the Yankees, starting their current run. Then, they won a thrilling seven-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The two-time defending champions already had Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez. The addition of Tucker makes the Dodgers more loaded than ever.
The way the Dodgers have built their team is reminisecent to the Yankees’ dynasty that dominated the league from 1996 to 2000. Remarkably, it could have been worse for the league had the Yanks not lost the 2001 and 2003 World Series. The Yankees could have done even more damage had they finished off the 2004 Boston Red Sox when they led 3-0 in the ALCS.
The Yankees’ dynasty with Jeter started in 1996 when they defeated the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. They lost in the 1997 Division Series to the Cleveland Indians. Then, they swept the San Diego Padres in the 1998 World Series, swept the Braves in the 1999 World Series, and beat the New York Mets 4-1 in the 2000 World Series.
Time will tell if the Dodgers can accomplish what the Yankees did. Counting the 2020 World Series, the Dodgers have won three titles in six seasons. Adding another one will not be easy, but this Dodgers dynasty already looks like the Jeter-led Yankees that dominated baseball for nearly a decade.