What's the easiest way to win any kind of sports game? Don't allow any points.
The Dodgers are taking that literally in their 2024 quest for a World Series title.
Los Angeles is riding an historic streak heading into Game 2 of the NLCS against New York. The Dodgers have not allowed a single run — zero, zilch, nada — over the last 33 innings. The team secured its spot in the championship series by shutting out the Padres twice in the NLDS, and then opened the NLCS with a shutout win over the Mets.
It's an incredibly impressive feat in its own right, but even more astonishing considering how decimated the pitching staff is by injuries. Los Angeles is operating without starters Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Gavin Stone, and Dustin May. That doesn't even take into account that while Shohei Ohtani is healthy, he hasn't pitched in 2024 and isn't expected to begin at any point during these playoffs.
The streak of shutout innings is tied for the longest in postseason history with the 1966 Orioles who, ironically, shut out the Dodgers over the same amount of innings in the World Series.
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Here's what to know about the magnificent string of shutout baseball the Dodgers have put together.
Dodgers scoreless playoff streak
Los Angeles did not allow a run in 33 consecutive innings, tying the Orioles for the record and breaking the NL mark.
The Dodgers had a chance to extend that streak in Game 2 against the Mets on Monday afternoon, but Francisco Lindor's 1st-inning home run off Ryan Brasier snapped that.
The streak dated back to Game 3 against the Padres, which was a 6-5 loss for the Dodgers. Los Angeles kept San Diego off the scoreboard the last six innings of the game, but an early explosion by San Diego was enough to secure the win.
However, the Padres failed to put the Dodgers away in Game 4. Despite it being a bullpen game for Los Angeles, the eight combined hurlers for the Dodgers kept the Padres off the scoreboard all game long. The Dodgers stayed alive with an 8-0 victory, forcing a Game 5.
Starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a dazzling performance in the winner-take-all contest, throwing five shutout innings before the bullpen slammed the door in the last four frames. Two runs is all the Dodgers needed to knock off their NL West rivals and advance to the NLCS with the 2-0 win.
After securing back-to-back shutouts to close out the Padres series, the Dodgers kept that streak going in the NLCS, holding the Mets off the scoreboard in Game 1. Jack Flaherty was dominant for seven innings before Daniel Hudson and Ben Casparius closed the game out in the final two innings for the 9-0 win.
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When Flaherty completed a fifth scoreless inning on Sunday, it gave the Dodgers 29 consecutive innings without allowing a run. According to Elias, that set the NL record for a single postseason, breaking the previous mark held by the 1905 New York Giants.
"The game has certainly changed, and I think that from our perspective, it's just a collective effort," Roberts said. "Certainly the players that were involved in all those scoreless innings have been fantastic, and I think defensively, we've been very good at converting outs when we need to. I think the coaches have done a great job of relaying the information and making it tangible and allowing for our pitchers and catchers to do a great job of sequencing, catching the ball the right way. And the front office, just the information we get.
"I just think that how we're preventing runs, it's a complete team effort."
When was the last time the Dodgers allowed a run?
Before Game 2 of the NLCS, The Dodgers had not allowed a run since the second inning of Game 3 against the Padres in the NLDS.
San Diego was able to take a 2-1 series lead in the divisional series thanks to a six-run inning early in Game 3. The Padres got after Dodgers starter Walker Buehler early, tagging him for six runs in the inning thanks to a two-RBI double by David Peralta and a two-run homer by Fernando Tatis Jr.
However, after putting up that crooked number, the Padres were held without a run for the final 26 innings in the NLDS, and the Dodgers' streak continued with nine shutout innings against the Mets in Game 1.
