Not every fast start is something. Baseball is weird like that—teams get hot, fans overreact, and a week later, it is all back to normal. However, sometimes, you just know there is more behind the curtain. You watch a team win continuously, and it does not feel like simple momentum. It feels like domination. Glory seems inevitable – like for the L.A. Dodgers this season.
When that feeling kicks in this early, individuals begin to toss around big concepts. Historic ones. As in, “Can they break the record”? And it is a very specific record – one that has stood for over a century. It’s the one only the 1906 Cubs and 2001 Mariners have ever touched—116 wins in a single season. One former World Series champ is already calling it, and he is not alone.
Nobody blinked when the Dodgers started 8–0, chalking it up to hot bats and early-season adrenaline. But the truth is that the form that is brewing in April could very well stretch deep into October. And if anyone knows what that kind of momentum looks like, it is someone who has been there. Enter Ryan Dempster – a former World Series champ, now watching from the analyst’s chair and calling it how he sees it. “I think they break the record”, Ryan said on The Rich Eisen Show.
Dempster did not just base it on vibes. He brought receipts. “Every team that has won a World Series since 2017 has had at least five guys from MLB Network’s Top 100 list”, the veteran said. “The Dodgers have nine”. That is not depth, that is overkill. Then he joked by saying, “it almost feels like they have a 40-man roster they are playing with”. It is not wrong. They have Mookie, Ohtani, Freeman and then you look at the bench and you are like—wait, this talent is on this team too? It is absurd and yet, very real. However the real separator is their bullpen.
Sep 2, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) scores a run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The Dodgers do not just make a splash, they set off waves. “They are not going to lose games late”, Dempster added. “They got multiple closers”. For instance, Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott—take your pick and the way they are managed is precise. No one is getting overworked. It is a rotation established to win more than 100 games and still has fuel left when it matters.
Will Leitch from MLB.com said it effectively, “if there is ever a team established to make a run at 117, it is this one”. Eight games into the season and the fraternity is already whispering history. However, with a World Series champ is loudly declaring it, is it time we stop whispering?
What breaking the record would says for the Dodgers
Chasing 117 wins looks shiny in April, but the champagne only pops in October. Just ask the 2001 Mariners. The team tied the all-time mark with 116 wins, before bowing out in the ALCS. That is the catch the Dodgers face. Being historically dominant in the regular season does not ensure postseason immortality. In fact, inside the clubhouse, some players may already be brushing off the win-chase narrative altogether. Why? Because there’s only one number that matters: 11. That’s how many postseason wins it takes to hoist the trophy.
That is where things get more intricate. The path to those 11 wins is stacked with ups and downs. The Padres, for one, look far more dangerous than last year. After finishing 93–69 in 2024 and sweeping the Braves in the Wild Card, the team loaded up. They locked in Jackson Merrill with a $135 million extension and reinforced their rotation. Meanwhile, the Braves—despite going 89–73 last year—have shockingly started 0–7 in 2025. Injuries and suspensions have exposed a roster that was expected to contend. So while the Dodgers may have the deepest bullpen and the flashiest top-end talent, their road to 117—and beyond—is lined with potholes. If the goal is history, they will need to survive the chaos first.
There is a quiet weight which comes with chasing history. Every win adds force, every loss attracts doubt and every headline feeds the hype. However, in the team, the vibe stays the same: one game at a time, one series at a time. That is what makes this power record so fascinating—it is less related to the wins and more related to how a team manages the storm which comes with greatness. So, the bigger question is not if the Dodgers will break the record—but how they will carry that spotlight when the lights shine brightest.
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