Getting into the Fall Classic hasn't always been a joyous occasion for some Dodgers players in their MLB careers.
Any MLB team will tell anyone who listens to them that the ultimate goal every season is to get to the World Series and win it.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers have put together a team of proven winners, there are players on there who have not always tasted championship victory.
One of those is Kiké Hernández, who has been around the majors for 12 seasons. He reflected on his own postseason experience when talking to Katie Woo of The Athletic after clinching the National League Championship Series on Friday night.
"This is going to be my fifth (World Series), and I was on the wrong end of two," Hernández said. "And when you’re on the wrong end of these series, especially when you get all the way to the end, it’s not a good feeling.
"I remember what it felt like when we got there, and then we lost, so after losing two, you get to the point where you’re like, 'All right, I’m not necessarily complacent or happy yet, till we do what we’re trying to do,'" he said.
When MLB fans look at the long history of the sport, there are a number of stars who never played in the World Series. Getting into five of them, though, is a pretty good record.
The Dodgers front office worked hard to get this roster in shape for the 2025 MLB season. Of course, the team spent a ton of money on its roster. That fact alone makes some fans totally upset, saying that Los Angeles "bought" a trip to the World Series.
While that might be fact or fiction, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman totally understands that things, and teams, change from season to season.
"We talk about this a lot," Friedman said. "There’s just a lot of different ways to win a World Series. Last year, we did it in a very different way than we have so far this year. We had a dominant bullpen. Our starters weren’t as accomplished as this group. But our lineup filled in the gap. We had a really good team last year. We’re just doing it a slightly different way."
A dominant bullpen? Not this season. That's been a thorn in the side of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts all season long. Yet, as has been pointed out, getting starter Roki Sasaki in that closer's role has been a sigh of relief for the Dodgers skipper.
Third baseman Max Muncy understands the assignment for the Dodgers as they await their opponent in the World Series, which starts on Friday.
The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays play Game 6 of their American League Championship Series on Sunday night. Seattle holds a 3-2 lead, but Toronto plays pretty well at home at Rogers Centre.
Back to Muncy, who offers his insights into what drives the Dodgers to succeed.
"Every year in spring training, every team probably has a similar speech: We’re here to work. Our goal is to win the World Series," Muncy said. "The reality of it is, there’s only a couple of teams where that’s the truth. With us, that’s the truth every single year. Our goal is to win the World Series. That’s what we expect."
Expectations are always high out in Los Angeles. Now the Dodgers will look to put their name among those teams that have repeated as World Series champions.