LOS ANGELES (AP) — The World Series is always the goal for the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers. It has been elusive lately, with first-round flops two years in a row. With Shohei Ohtani leading the way for the first time, they are going for another championship.

So a raucous clubhouse party was in order after the Dodgers defeated the New York Mets and clinched their record 25th National League pennant.

“We hope we can do it again,” infielder Max Muncy said. “We still need four more wins.”

Next up are the New York Yankees in the World Series, starting with Game 1 on Friday at Dodger Stadium. The best-of-seven series features two of baseball’s most glamorous teams, with a legendary World Series rivalry.

“I know the fans love this and the players love this too,” Los Angeles outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “It’s not going to be easy, but we have the team, we have the help and we’re going for the World Series trophy.”

The Yankees have defeated the Dodgers in eight of their 11 World Series games. The first seven were played in New York – with the Yankees in the Bronx and Dem Bums in Brooklyn. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season.

“I think the whole world was looking forward to or hoping for this potential matchup,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

He’s not kidding. The Dodgers have another country supporting them: Japan has tuned in to the team’s playoff games in record numbers, eager to see Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The Dodgers gave Ohtani a record $700 million, 10-year contract in free agency, and they gave Yamamoto a $325 million, 12-year contract.

Ohtani’s 2024 achievement included becoming the first player in Major League history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.

At the same time, the Dodgers overcame a litany of injuries that decimated their starting pitching. They led the major leagues with 36 placements on the injured list and 2,342 days lost, 445 days more than any other team.

Aided by a pair of key contributors who arrived at the July trade deadline, they still finished with baseball’s best record of 98–64, earning home field advantage throughout the postseason.

“This is a team that stuck together. Everyone contributed,” Hernández said. “Shohei was a big part of all the wins we had, but the pitching and the bullpen were the most important and because of them we are here and going to the World Series.”

The Dodgers found themselves in a perilous position in their NL Division Series, trailing the rival San Diego Padres. They rallied to win the last two matches and win the best-of-five series 3–2.

“They’ve proven to themselves how strong they are,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers still have three healthy starters and have played three bullpen games so far this postseason. That strategy worked twice, including Sunday’s win over the Mets.

It wasn’t meant to be. They acquired Tyler Glasnow, but he suffered an elbow injury in mid-August. Two weeks later, Clayton Kershaw, who had already undergone elbow surgery, was out because of a bone spur in his big toe. Dustin May never pitched this season and Tony Gonsolin was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Walker Buehler sometimes had trouble coming back from a second Tommy John procedure in his first season.

All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Miguel Rojas have missed some time this postseason due to injuries, necessitating multiple lineup changes.

Yet the Dodgers stayed alive.

“I’m going to enjoy it no matter how little I helped,” said Kershaw, the team’s current longest-tenured player.

The Dodgers bolstered their roster in July by trading for starter Jack Flaherty, reliever Michael Kopech and versatile utility man Tommy Edman, whose 11 RBIs against the Mets earned him NLCS MVP honors. Edman was thrown into the cleanup spot in Game 6 and responded with four RBIs.

“I just think I have to bet on players that I think are capable, put them in the best position to be successful and be willing to live with whatever consequences may come,” Roberts said. “This postseason I’ve had a lot of clarity and the players have made me look really good.”

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