It all comes down to this.

The date is Tuesday, October 31, 2017 – Halloween in the City of Angels.

Trick or Treat.

It will be the latest that the Dodgers have ever played in any calendar year in their 134-year franchise history. As noted by our good friend Eric Stephen over at True Blue LA, it will also be the 176th game that the Dodgers will play this season. They and every Dodger fan on the planet are hoping … praying that there will be a 177th.

“At this point in the series nothing is going to be forgettable about this season. Obviously we want to be the last team standing on the field, win the last game of the season, and that’s the goal,” Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner told the media during a telephonic press conference on Monday afternoon. “But you have literally the two best teams in baseball going at it. It’s the clash of the titans right now, and I don’t think there’s a single moment of this season that will be forgettable.”

Although no one could have said it better, the cold, hard truth is that unless the Dodgers play – and win – game number 177, history will forever remember them as the other team that played in the 2017 World Series – period.

In the 114-year history of the Fall Classic, 20 teams have come back from a 3-2 deficits to win. Of those 20 teams, 14 did so by winning games six and seven at home. That’s a a very impressive 70 percent of them. For no other reason, this signifies just how crucially important it was for the 2017 Dodgers to finish the regular season with the best overall record at 104-58.

It all comes down to this.

The Dodgers must, absolutely must, win their 176th game of the 2017 season … and then win number 177.

If they do not, it will be Trick, not Treat, for the one team that utterly despises the colors black and orange like no other.

Let’s DO this, Dodgers!