Dodgers reveal surprising mindset behind World Series three-peat quest

As the Dodgers entered the final portion of the regular season this year, manager Dave Roberts gathered some of his hitters to deliver a late-season reminder.Nine months earlier, the Dodgers had openly proclaimed their ambitions to complete a World Series three-peat this year, stating the goal clearly (and repeatedly) during a parade to celebrate their second consecutive championship last November.A few months after that, they reported to spring training and were bombarded with questions about the historical significance of such a quest, reminded time and again of a feat no National League team has ever accomplished, and no club in all of Major League Baseball has pulled off since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.Over the course of the year, the narrative only intensified, fueled by another 100-win campaign from the two-time defending champions — and stoked by a brewing labor battle at which, ahead of a likely lockout this offseason, the Dodgers’ dominance wound up being in the middle.Thus, shortly before the trade deadline, and with October only barely starting to appear on the horizon, Roberts wanted to make sure his veteran core was in the right headspace.Yes, the chance for history was within their grasp.But no, they couldn’t afford to become preoccupied with the magnitude of such a task.“We had a little conversation with Doc the other day, the position player group, and he’s really into winning this year,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said at the time.“Obviously he cares about winning the last two [years], and it’s really important for him and for us.

But he said he doesn’t really care about what happened the last two years.He wants to win this year.

So it’s kind of like a pressed button for us to kind of continue to go and not let the rest of the league catch up to our standards.We just gotta keep it up there.”Indeed, two months on from that day, that message continues to permeate as the Dodgers enter the playoffs, beginning with ...