The Boys of Summer would be proud.
Sixty-six years ago, a collection of athletes from all walks of life assembled together to form one of the greatest baseball teams in history.
Before the Avengers existed, Hall of Famers Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, and Duke Snider formed the original superhero team in 1953.
Now, they have company.
The 2019 Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants, 9-0, on Sunday to finish the season 106-56. The 106 wins are the most in franchise history (Brooklyn or Los Angeles) dating all the way back to 1890.
"I'm going to take a moment to appreciate what we did as an organization," said Dave Roberts, who has now won over 100 games twice in his four-year stint as the Dodgers manager. "We're talking about the regular season and all those great teams in Dodgers history. It takes a lot to accomplish what we accomplished as a group, as an organization, and there's a lot to be said for that. So very proud of everyone top to bottom. It's something that no one can take away from us and it speaks to the character, the work ethic, the talent, just the togetherness of everyone, so very proud."
A week ago, after a loss to the Colorado Rockies at home, the Dodgers fell to 99-56 and with just seven games remaining in the season, the franchise record for wins seemed long a long shot.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
But the Dodgers got hot to finish the season, winning a season-high seven games to end the 2019 campaign on a high note.
"That was really special," Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager told reporters of the record. "That may be something that goes under the radar, but that was really cool."
Historians can now argue for centuries which Dodgers team was the greatest of all time. It's worth nothing, that the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers team won 105 games during a 154-game season.
MLB changed the regular season to 162 games following the 1961 season, so who knows how many games that 1953 team, affectionately known as the "Boys of Summer Team," would have won with eight more opportunities to increase their win total.
The Dodgers set a Los Angeles franchise record with 104 wins during the regular season in 2017. Many believed that was the best Dodgers team of all-time as they lost only once in winning the NL pennant before falling to the Astros in seven games in the World Series.
Speaking of the Astros, the two teams once again seem to be on a collision course for a historic rematch, as Houston also finished the season on a hot streak, earning the best record in baseball with 107 wins. For their efforts, they've earned the prize of home field advantage throughout the MLB Playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers ended the season with the best record in the National League and home field advantage throughout the divison and championship series.
They won the NL West for the seventh consecutive season, and finished a record 21 games ahead of the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks.
Perhaps it was fitting that the franchise record for wins came against their heated rivals, the San Francisco Giants, and on a memorable day for both teams as future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy coached in his final game.
The Dodgers will now put the regular season in the rearview mirror as they open up the MLB Playoffs on Thursday at Dodger Stadium against either the Washington Nationals or Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.
They need just 11 more wins to do what the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers team could not do—win the World Series—for the first time since 1988.
Perchance, if they finish the job this time around, the 2019 team will undoubtedtly be crowned as the best Dodgers team of all time.
"The work’s not done," Seager told SportsNet LA's Alanna Rizzo on Sunday. "We’re going to try to go finish business."
