The rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres continues as the athletes compete in the National League Division Series for a chance to advance to the National League Championship Series.
The National League Division Series is a best three out of five, with the Dodgers hosting the first two games on Oct. 5 and 6. After that, the Padres will have two games in San Diego on Oct. 8 and 9. In addition, the Dodgers will host the last game on Oct. 10 if necessary.
This will be the third time in the last five years the Padres and the Dodgers have faced each other during the postseason, and will be a series to remember for both fanbases. First, in 2020, the Dodgers swept the Padres in the National League Division Series, eventually winning the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The second time, in 2022, the Padres returned the favor by defeating the Dodgers in the National League Division Series 3-1 falling short to being in the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Championship Series.
During the offseason, the Dodgers signed a 10-year $700 million contract to Shohei Ohtani, who is one of the first players in Major League Baseball history that can both pitch and be the designated hitter. In addition, the Dodgers were able to sign pitcher Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
As for the Padres, manager Bob Melvin decided to part ways with the team and manage another division rival, the San Fransisco Giants, during the offseason. After Melvin’s departure, Mike Shildt was hired to be the manager for the Padres, who has been a manager for the St. Luis Cardinals from 2018-2021 and coach for the Padres in 2022-2023.
Throughout the regular season, the Padres attempted to tie their winning record from 1998 with 98 wins but fell short, winning 94 games ending in second place in the National League West Division behind the Dodgers.
Prediction for the series
Personally, both teams have had a great regular season, so I think the series will go all five games with the Padres winning the last game. The last time the Padres went to the World Series, in 1998, the New York Yankees swept, winning all four games. However, the Padres are looking different from the team in the past and have a good chance of going back to the World Series this year, which I’m very excited about.
Where to watch the games
The first two games will be on Fox Sports One, with the first game at 5:30 pm and the second at 5:08. For the rest of the series, they will be on Fox, and the time is to be determined.
