Dodgers Knocked Out Of Playoffs By Division Rival Padres In A Shocking End To Season

The Los Angeles Dodgers, who entered the playoffs with a Major League best won-loss record of 111-51, lost the best-of-five National League Division Series Saturday night to the San Diego Padres.

What Happened?

After a rare-for-Southern-California half-hour rain delay and a brief downpour in the 8th inning, San Diego beat the Dodgers 5-3 at Petco Park. The Padres, fueled by a five-run seventh inning rally, won the NLDS three games to one and advance to play the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series. (The Phillies also upset a top-seeded team on Saturday, the Atlanta Braves, to reach the NLCS.)

Why It's Shocking

The Los Angeles Dodgers dugout reacts during the ninth inning as the season comes to a disappointing close.

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Harry How

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Getty Images

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Josh Hader #71 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with Manny Machado #13 after defeating the Dodgers.

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Harry How

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Getty Images

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The Dodgers' loss marked the first time a team lost a playoff series to a division opponent after not losing a series to that team during the regular season. The Padres finished the season 22 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West.

Another Futile Season

For the Dodgers, it was the third time since 2019 that they racked up more than 100 wins in the regular season but faltered in the playoffs. They won 106 games both in 2019 and last year but failed to reach the World Series both times (they won the Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).

This year, however, was an even bigger disappointment for fans, as the team’s 111 wins were not only the best in baseball in 2022 but also the best regular season in the Dodgers' 139-year history.