Alex Verdugo brings Dodgers 2020 World Series victory into question
By Rylie Smith
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, and Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo spoke his mind on it ‘not being a real World Series.’
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2020 World Series after a shortened season due to COVID-19, and Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo spoke out about the win. He believes they earned the win, but the 2020 World Series shouldn’t be considered an actual championship.
His comments don’t seem to be hateful, but more so reflective of the 2020 season that only resulted in 60 games rather than the typical 162.
Verdugo told Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe (subscription required McWilliams Tweeted a quote), “They won the [World Series], it’s a true one, for what we call it. But I still call it as I see it, it’s still a 60-gamer.”
"They won the [World Series], it’s a true one, for what we call it. But I still call it as I see it, it’s still a 60-gamer.”
— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) October 1, 2022
Verdugo on the Dodgers' success, World Series, Mookie and the path forward for the Red Sox at the end of Year 3. https://t.co/Su3mqlmSHM
Verdugo brings up a good point. It certainly still counts as a World Series win and isn’t an accomplishment to take lightly, but in the grand scheme of a regular season, teams can end up in drastically different positions after the first 60 games.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won a World Series like no other
The 2020 season was unique since it started when a regular season would be halfway over. The season began on July 23 and ended Sept. 27, so the championship game couldn’t necessarily be considered a “full-season” championship.
Their win is still valid and undoubtedly deserved. They won the World Series in an honest fashion, but it doesn’t encapsulate the efforts of an entire season. When reflecting on any season, most teams begin in a much different spot in the spring than they end up in the fall. 60 games aren’t nearly enough to equate to the ups and downs of a regular 162-game season.
It’s certainly a tough comparison. The Dodgers had a talented team, so there’s a strong likelihood they would’ve kept their momentum going and won in the end during a full regular season. However, they didn’t have the chance to test the waters and prove they could, nor did any other team in the league.
The discussion isn’t about the Dodgers specifically winning in 2020 — the perspective would apply to any team that theoretically would’ve won in 2020. However, Los Angeles still deserves the credit and applause for becoming the World Series champions in a year that changed the entire world.
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