Because nothing binds us in human solidarity like the golden threads of Search Engine Optimization, it’s time for this space, which is notionally devoted to Major League Baseball coverage, to talk about the upcoming Super Bowl. Indeed, on Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will meet in a Bowl overflowing with Super, and at stake is Utmost American Football Glory.
This, naturally enough, brings us to the Los Angeles Dodgers by way of those aforementioned Chiefs. The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in six years, and in related matters they’re aiming for their third consecutive belt and title. This general notion of repeat champions brings us back to the Dodgers, winners of the 2024 World Series, their chances of doing it again in 2025, and the frankly grim recent history of MLB squadrons aiming to repeat as champs of the sport.
Let’s hit that last part first. No MLB team has repeated as World Series champions since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees. Those Yankees came tantalizingly close to winning four straight World Series, but the Arizona Diamondbacks edged them in the white-knuckled 2001 World Series, a true classic of the genre. So it’s been roughly a quarter-century since anyone in MLB has successfully defended the title. For comparison’s sake, let’s note that over that same span, the NFL has yielded two repeat champions (the Chiefs over the last two years and the 2003-04 New England Patriots). The NBA, meantime, has had four repeat champs since 2000. Maybe, though, MLB’s “drought” will end in 2025?
This topic merits exploration on two fronts — first, how well positioned the Dodgers are to repeat and, second, an acknowledgement of just how hard it is to repeat in a sport like baseball and a league like MLB.
The unpredictability of baseball is evident in the postseason, especially for teams like the 2024 Dodgers and potentially the 2025 Dodgers, who enter with the best record in MLB. Since 1995, only seven teams have managed to achieve this feat and win the World Series. The 2024 Dodgers were the first team to do so since the 2018 Red Sox. The nature of baseball, with its reliance on random outcomes, coupled with the multiple rounds of the postseason, makes it challenging for favorites to succeed.
Looking ahead to the 2025 Dodgers, it’s always wise to bet on the field rather than a single team in baseball. The rarity of a World Series repeat winner is a testament to the sport’s unpredictability. While the 2025 Dodgers may break this trend, it’s more likely that they will not follow in the footsteps of teams like the Chiefs in other sports.
Overall, baseball’s structure and playoff format are designed to challenge even the best teams, making repeated success a true anomaly. The 2025 Dodgers may defy the odds, but history suggests that the field is always a safer bet in the game of baseball.