Looking back on the Dodgers’ amazing August
by Mark Langill
The Dodgers originally entered August hoping to mesh their new players acquired prior to the trading deadline — including pitchers Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Ryan Yarbrough, and position players Kiké Hernández and Amed Rosario — into a winning roster combination. The Dodgers ended July with a 9–0 loss at Cincinnati, leaving their first-place lead at a mere 2 1/2 games.
As the calendar turns to September, the Dodgers now enjoy a 13 1/2-game cushion in the National League West after posting one of the most prolific months in Major League history.
The Dodgers went 24–5 in August — the 24 wins marking a new Los Angeles Dodgers record for most wins in the month and the second-most in franchise history in any calendar month. The Brooklyn Dodgers won 25 games in July 1947 and August 1953 — both pennant-winning seasons.
The Dodgers now have a 32–12 (.727) record since the All-Star break, a Major League best. The Dodgers also have an NL-leading 46–22 (.676) record at home, just ahead of the Braves (44–22, .667).
The Dodgers are just the fifth team since 1969 to win 24 or more in one month, joining the 1973 Reds (24, July), the 1977 Royals (25, September), the 2002 A’s (24, August), and the 2017 Indians (25, September).
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman became the first teammates since Charlie Gehringer and Gee Walker of the 1937 Detroit Tigers to have 40+ hits, 10+ doubles, and 3+ stolen bases in a calendar month.
Betts, with two home runs on Thursday, set the LA Dodgers record for most hits in a calendar month (51) and runs scored (35). He batted .455/.516/.839/1.355 with 11 hime runs, 10 doubles and 30 RBI.
Only three other Dodgers hit over .450 in a calendar month (minimum 75 plate appearances) — Andre Ethier (.462, September 2008), Pedro Guerrero (.460, July 1985) and Willie Davis (.459, August 1969).
Max Muncy ended the month by collecting extra-base hits in nine consecutive games, tying a Dodger record set by Jack Fournier (1925) and John Roseboro (1961).
Brusdar Graterol didn’t allow a run in August in 11 appearances and the Dodger pitching staff led the Majors with a 3.00 ERA.
The Dodgers started August with a 15–1 record against Oakland (3–0), San Diego (3–1), Arizona (2–0), Colorado (4–0), and Milwaukee (3–0).
The Dodgers joined the 2002 Oakland Athletics as the only two teams of the Expansion Era (since 1961) to win 24-plus games in August.
According to OptaSTATS, the Dodgers are the first team to have a winning percentage of .750 or better in the same calendar month for four years in a row (minimum of 10 games played). The only other team with a .750+ winning percentage in the same month four years in a row was the Chicago White Stockings in June from 1878 to 1881.
The Dodgers last four Augusts look like this:
2023: 24–5
2022: 22–6
2021: 21–6
2020: 21–7
