DO REGULAR SEASON RECORDS MATTER?

Writer Mark Timmons examines whether regular-season dominance predicts MLB postseason success ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers' playoff series against the Atlanta Braves. Timmons argues that regular-season records indicate general team quality but serve as unreliable predictors in October. He highlights historical upsets, including the 1988 Dodgers defeating the 100-win New York Mets and recent postseason defeats for Los Angeles against the San Diego Padres in 2022 and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023.

Timmons explains that the disconnect stems from collapsed sample sizes in short playoff series, where organizational depth matters far less than top pitching rotations. While noting that the Atlanta Braves dominated the Dodgers during the regular season, Timmons contends that October baseball renders regular-season head-to-head records unpredictable.