To say that the 2024 playoff journey for the Los Angeles Dodgers was an insane roller-coaster ride would be an understatement. All three series were loaded with action and excitement, providing fans of the team with some of the best postseason baseball they’ve witnessed in years.

The NLDS against the San Diego Padres could have very well vaulted the Friars ahead of the San Francisco Giants as the Dodgers’ biggest rival. This series was definitely the closest of all three, taking every last bit of energy to emerge victoriously in Game 5.

In the NLCS against the New York Mets, the bats stayed alive throughout the series, spearheaded by the emergence of utilityman Tommy Edman as one of the team’s X-factors on offense. The bullpen became the rock of the pitching staff and held their own all series long, despite a dilapidated starting rotation. Although the series went six games, there was never really much doubt that the Dodgers were clearly the better all-around club.

The World Series was a much different story as the excitement cranked up to a nearly unbearable level. By the time Game 1 went final, fans could see an unwavering confidence in the Dodgers that was up and down most of the regular season. Freddie Freeman’s walkoff grand slam provided the initial spark that saw Los Angeles jump out to a commanding three games to zero lead.

Once the ball cleared the fence, you just knew that the Dodgers controlled the momentum. Freeman went on to earn a well-deserved MVP award after dominating on offense, which probably deserves a whole other story line of its own.

We also saw a ton of productive small ball — including bunts, hit and runs and situational hitting — that was absent in the regular season. Skipper Dave Roberts finally lost the monkey off his back by exhibiting some of the best managing we’ve seen in recent history.

For as much as the 2020 World Series was a huge accomplishment, it still came with an asterisk due to the shortened season and special postseason arrangements. However, the 2024 World Championship clearly proved that the Dodgers were the best club in the majors, as the team handled the most formidable squads across the MLB, particularly the star-studded New York Yankees.

For some fans, it may take a while to really grasp how well the team performed in the 2024 postseason and the significance of the championship. For others, they’re already looking forward to the 2025 campaign and how the roster will shape up on Opening Day.

What we know right now is that Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Freeman will be an integral part of this team for the unforeseeable future. What we don’t know is the impact of Ohtani’s shoulder injury and how it will affect his performance moving forward. Many other question marks remain, like whether the team will bring back players like Teoscar Hernandez and Jack Flaherty, both of whom were significantly instrumental this postseason.

The future of Clayton Kershaw also seems to be up in the air after he failed to follow through on an admirable comeback effort during the second half of the season. Other questions surround whether pitchers like Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May can stay healthy enough to guide the team to another successful postseason campaign next year.

Regardless, fans can finally sit back and relax after being on the edge of their seats for the last three and a half weeks — at least until the Hot Stove begins to percolate at the Winter Meetings at the beginning of December.