It has long been accepted that the 1927 New York Yankees are the best baseball team to have ever played the game in MLB’s storied 153-year history. “The ’27 Yankees,” as they are affectionately known, are considered ‘the most legendary and revered team in the annals of baseball,’ (according to Fred Glickstein’s 2005 book of the same name) won an remarkable 110 games. That historic team included guys named Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Earle Combs, Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, all of whom are enshrined in the sacred Halls of Cooperstown.

On Saturday night, the 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers won their 110th game … and still have four games remaining in the regular season.

Oh sure, many will argue that Ruth’s famed team did it when there were only 154 games in a regular season versus the 162 games that MLB went to in 1961 and 1962 in the American League and National Leagues respectively, but 110 wins is 110 wins, right?

For anyone at, watching, or listening to Saturday night’s game between the National League West last-place Colorado Rockies and the NL West Division-winning ’22 Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, it was every bit a laugher. Of the six runs scored by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ team in the 6-4 Dodgers (110th) win, two were walked in; the result of five walks issued by Rockies pitchers in the bottom of the seventh inning alone. They went on to score two more in the bottom of the eighth, including one on a RBI single by a suddenly smoking-hot Cody Bellinger, who went 3-for-4 on the night (all singles) and drove in two.

“You don’t see that too often in the big leagues. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed something like that,” Roberts said postgame. “I think that this environment might’ve gotten to those guys because there were some bad misses. But when they did make competitive pitches, we did a good job of still taking them and earning walks.”

“You have to appreciate what is going on because you never know if this will happen again,” added Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who drove in the Dodgers first run of the night on a single in the bottom of the third inning. “It’s hard to do when you’re doing it, we’re just trying to win games every single night, but when you’re in the high-five line and you see new franchise record, 110 wins, you realize that we’re doing something special this year.”

And then there’s the Dodgers pitching. Even though 25-year-old Dodgers starting right-hander Michael Grove gave up all four Rockies runs that included a two-run home run by Rockies third base Ryan McMahon and a solo shot by Rockies right fielder Randal Grichuk in the top of the fourth, the Dodgers bullpen was, once again, absolutely brilliant. Messrs. Craig Kimbrel, Tommy Kahnle, Evan Phillips, and Brusdar Graterol did not allow a run – or a hit – in their combined four innings pitched, with Evans picking up his seventh win of the season and Graterol his fourth save.

“You get to the bullpen and we did a nice job of preventing runs right there,” Roberts said postgame. But I think the story is that we just continue to take great at-bats, kind of find a way to get back in the game, and win a game late.”

Their 110th, in fact.

…just like ‘The ’27 Yankees.’

Play Ball!

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