The Los Angeles Dodgers have finished first in the NL West every season since 2013 except for one, which came in 2021.
The Dodgers finished a game behind the 107-55 San Francisco Giants, and met them in the NLDS that same season. The Giants took the series to five games, and ultimately lost to the Dodgers.
The Giants fielded starting pitcher Kevin Gausman in two of the five games during that series, and lost both contests. Gausman, now with the Toronto Blue Jays, wants to take down the Dodgers on the biggest stage.
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“Yeah, for sure,” Gausman said when asked if he was glad to get another shot at the Dodgers. “But I would feel the same way if we were playing anybody. I want to win. It doesn’t matter who is over there. I still think about the check swing on Wilmer Flores. I don’t think it was a swing, but, you know, that’s kind of water under the bridge. And Max was pitching in that game, so it’s kind of full circle.
“Now I’ve got to know Max on a personal level, on a professional level, and I mean, what an unbelievable career he has had. If you’ve spent any time around him, like he has a baseball mind. He doesn’t stop. It’s non-stop. There’s definitely times I have to kind of distance myself from him at times because he’s just go, go, go all the time. But, no, I think I would have the same feeling if I was playing anybody.”
Gausman has been solid for the Blue Jays this postseason, posting a 2.00 ERA through four appearances, which span 18 innings. He is set to start Game 2 of the World Series in Toronto against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and will definitely have a chip on his shoulder after the outcome of the 2021 season.
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The Dodgers lost the opening game of the World Series at the Rogers Centre in a blowout, and will look to bounce back against the Blue Jays on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PT.
Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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