The 2020 Dodgers started the season 30–10, matching the best 40-game start in franchise history. The last such Dodgers start came in 1977, along with the Brooklyn teams in 1888 and 1955. This was also the best 40-game start in the majors since the 116-win Mariners began 31–9 in 2001. The Dodgers led MLB in runs scored (349), home runs (118) and slugging percentage (.483, tied with the Atlanta Braves). The Dodgers finished the regular season 43–17, winning their eighth straight division title, and swept both the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2020 National League Wild Card Series and the San Diego Padres in the 2020 National League Division Series. They then defeated the Braves in the 2020 National League Championship Series to advance to the 2020 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, their third World Series appearance in the last four years and their 24th pennant in franchise history, surpassing the San Francisco Giants for the most in the National League. The Dodgers would then go on to defeat the Rays in six games, winning their first World Series since 1988, their sixth since moving to Los Angeles, and the seventh in franchise history.