After having a spectacular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers failed to deliver another World Series ring. Having won the title of the 2023 NL West Division Champions, fans were expecting this all-star team to persevere through a winning postseason. The shocking loss undergone this October to the undervalued Arizona-based team, the Diamondbacks, was least expected by many, leaving fans brutally upset. 

Here at Downey, students like Kayla Villalobos, 11, are extreme Dodger fans. She shares her disappointment watching her boys in blue, lose yet another year. 

“While watching the Dodgers first three games, I was disappointed but not surprised. The Dodgers seem to have an ongoing cycle where they dominate during the regular season but cannot seem to perform during the postseason where it matters the most,” Villalobos says. “I was not surprised in the pitching as I already went in with a negative mindset. I will say I was disappointed in the fact that Kershaw was the starting pitcher for the first game. While he is a great player, he has not been performing the way fans have been hoping. While Bobby Miller could not perform to the best of his abilities for the second game, putting him first would have been a better option in my opinion.” 

First-round games occurred on October 7, 9, and 11 versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. Well-known Dodger icon, Clayton Kershaw, started Game 1. Making many fans nervous, Kershaw has been known to choke at playoffs. Proven to be correct, the manager, Dave Roberts, took out the pitcher after a disappointing initial inning. The game’s final score was 11-2, leaving many in question to the outcome of the first round. 

Active fans like Kaley Sandoval 11, express their frustration with the Los Angeles-based team.

“The Dodgers losing the first three games was heart-breaking because I know how they play and they were trying to play their hardest. It was hard to lose but maybe next year we can come back a lot better and make it to the finals,” says Sandoval. “I would like to see better defense and better batting because they seemed to be lacking in it. I do believe the game impacted the fans because we know how good the team is and they weren’t having the best season, especially seeing how the last 3 games were.”

After a tragic 3 game loss, the Dodgers were eliminated from the NLDS and the road to a World Series ring. 

As a Downey Baseball player, Marcos Quinonez 11, expresses his upset over the losses.

“I was very upset. They did good all season and couldn’t pull through. They lose the first round, that’s embarrassing.”

This recurring cycle of losses has an impact on Dodger fans here at Downey. Let’s hope next season is a redemption!