The Dodgers are the most painful team to watch in the playoffs this decade. That’s according to The Ringer’s Postseason Pain Index, a rankings system that calculates which MLB fanbases have had to suffer the most in the 2010s.
The rankings are determined by what they call a “comeback score” for each series a team has lost, which is basically the losing team’s peak win probability in that game. The Ringer set a baseline of 50% for each time, and subracted that from the comeback score.
“For instance, the Dodgers’ series win probability against the Nationals peaked at 89.3 percent, so L.A. gets 89.3 – 50 = 39.3 points for this series,” Zach Kram explained in the story.
Essentially, the more times a team has blown it in the playoffs, the more points they get.
One could imagine the Dodgers scoring a lot on this list, and they did. Their 139.8 points is actually the highest out of any other major league team. Right behind them are the Nationals, ironically, with 114.1 points.
Wednesday’s decisive game five is what ended up pushing the Dodgers into the number one spot, the image of Howie Kendrick smashing a grand slam off Joe Kelly in the 10th burned into the minds of Dodgers fans.
It also brings up several painful moments throughout the decade, such as the 2014 NLDS when Kershaw gave up a 6-2 lead in the seventh inning to the Cardinals in game one. There’s also game four of that same series, game five of the 2015 NLDS against the Mets, the 2016 NLCS against the Cubs, and most painfully, game seven of the 2017 World Series when Darvish gave up five runs in two innings.
This decade has been filled with heartbreak and disappointment for Dodgers fans, and we can only hope that the next one finally brings that ring back to the Los Angeles.
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