The Los Angeles Dodgers have a long road ahead to reach the World Series in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1977-78 season.
It has been a tumultuous season for the Dodgers, after reaching the World Series for the first time in 29 years and taking the eventual champion Houston Astros to Game 7.
Injuries have been a major setback for the team this time around, especially to its franchise player in pitcher Clayton Kershaw, among other players.
Kershaw has missed a significant portion of the season with back issues.
He is widely regarded as arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball when healthy.
Kershaw has won just about every award in baseball during his 10-year career, comprising of an MVP, three Cy-Young Awards, a Golden Glove award, as well as seven All-Star appearances, among many other accolades.
However, one piece of hardware missing from Kershaw’s mantel is a World Series championship ring.
Other players have also dealt with injuries this season, including All-Star shortstop Corey Seager who has been ruled out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 4.
Tommy John surgery is essentially elbow ligament reconstructive surgery.
Seager is 24 years old and in his fourth year as a player for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers currently sit at 43-37, good for second place in the National League-West division.
The team is also three and a half games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for first in the division, which the Dodgers won last season with an overall record of 104-53.
Topping over 100 wins again will be a bit of a challenge for a team that had won 91 games last season before it lost as many as they currently have which stands at 39.
Getting to that marquee century mark this season would require the club to win 61 of its last 82 games or 74 percent.
Last season the Dodgers won 64 percent of its games.
Winning 100 plus games does not guarantee a team a berth in the World Series
However, of the 97 teams that have notched over 100 wins in a single-season in MLB history since the World Series commenced in 1903, 64 of those teams have advanced to the World Series.
Also, the World Series win and loss record of 100-plus win teams are 36-29.
The 2016-17 Dodgers are a part of the 29 to lose a World Series, after winning 100 regular season games.
Statistically, if the Dodgers are able to get to 100 wins, it will give the club a 65 percent chance to make it back to the World Series.
The Dodgers have the talent to win it all, hence why the main focus should be injury rehab, because with health the wins should come, in route to what could be back to back World Series appearances and hopefully for the city of Angels—a more fruitful ending.
