A 98-year-old record fell Wednesday night, as the Los Angeles Dodgers surpassed the 1911 Detroit Tigers for the most consecutive home victories to start a season by any team in the modern era.
The Dodgers steamrolled the hapless Washington Nationals 10-3, running their record to 13-0 at home this season. In doing so, the Dodgers improved baseball's best overall record to 21-8, their best 29-game start since 1983, and increased their lead over second-place San Francisco in the National League West to 6 1/2 games. Although the Dodgers obviously hope to extend that streak to 14 by completing a two-game sweep of the Nationals on Thursday night, manager Joe Torre said he was relieved that the record chase was at least over.
"Only because it was becoming a distraction," Torre said. "I didn't want it to get to a point where this was all we were striving for."
The Dodgers hadn't won 13 consecutive games at home at any point in any season since doing so from May 4-June 5, 1993. The 13 consecutive home wins tie the fourth-longest home winning streak in franchise history.
Since Aug. 21, 2008, the Dodgers are 23-3 at home. Since Aug. 1, 2008, the day Manny Ramirez joined the club, the Dodgers are 36-9 at home. The Dodgers have only trailed for eight full innings at home this season, plus three additional innings in which they fell behind in the top half and came back to tie or go ahead in the bottom half.
DODGERS 10, DIAMONDBACKS 3: Clayton Kershaw gutted his way through five innings on a night when he clearly was struggling and held on just long enough for the offense to bust out. The Dodgers scored a run in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie, then exploded for seven runs in the sixth to put the game away. Orlando Hudson, Manny Ramirez and James Loney drove in two runs each for the Dodgers.
