Dodgers’ World Series Title Deserves No Asterisk *

Preseason baseball talk this year centered around whether or not this year's World Series champion should have an asterisk next to their title. Following the Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-1 Game 6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 Fall Classic, the answer is unequivocally no.

Was this season unlike any other? Of course. Does that mean the ultimate champion of this season is different than it would have been in a 162-game season? Probably not. In fact, this crazy season actually made it harder for the Dodgers to win the World Series, not easier.

Over 162 games, water finds its level and the best teams in each division are pretty reasonably identified. Over just 60 games, there is much less margin for error. Despite that, the Dodgers finished an MLB-best 43-17 and ran away with their division despite the second-best team in the National League, the San Diego Padres, lurking in their own division.

They left little doubt who the best team in baseball during the regular season was. Barring several major injuries, this would have been the case over 162 games as well. The Dodgers were playing at a 116-win pace and while they almost certainly wouldn't have reached that historic mark in a normal regular season, Los Angeles still almost certainly would have clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Instead, the Dodgers had to play the hardest playoff gauntlet MLB has ever attempted and did so away from Dodger Stadium following the Wild Card Round. L.A. dominated the Milwaukee Brewers in that round, a round that easily could've seen them upset if just a few things didn't go their way.

Then, they got those same pesky Padres and made relatively quick work of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Co. as well. After falling behind 3-1 to the Atlanta Braves, the Dodgers really never looked back, winning three straight in the NLCS and then four out of six in the World Series; and they outplayed the Rays in five of the six games. In other words, Los Angeles left no doubt as to who the best team in baseball was this season.

Clayton Kershaw finally got the playoff monkey off his back with good-to-great performances most postseason long and he got to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy for the first time just minutes from where he calls home. Walker Buehler declared himself as one of the game's best pitchers, and Mookie Betts made it clear he was the missing piece to the Dodgers' championship puzzle.

This season didn't feel like it usually does, there's no denying that. But in watching these playoffs, there's also no denying which team "deserved" to win the World Series. Even in 162-game seasons, it's rarely guaranteed that the best team in the regular season will win it all come October. In fact, in just five of the previous 20 MLB seasons, has the team with the best or tied for the best regular-season record gone on to win the World Series.

That's because regular-season results don't always translate to postseason results. It comes down to pitching and who gets hot in October. But the Dodgers are so deep and built so well, they're almost foolproof. When October rolls around, Dave Roberts has room to maneuver. That's been the case for years, but in this most unlikely of seasons, they were finally able to take it across the finish line.

Asterisks denote something of importance or of peculiar value in a particular instance, so in that respect, maybe the 2020 World Series champion Dodgers do deserve an asterisk. But this asterisk should not denote a devaluation of their championship, but rather an increased value in a title won under the strangest of circumstances by a team who finally broke through and now feels on the cusp of a potential dynasty.