Do the Dodgers really need to win the World Series this year?

The Dodgers are on the fast-track to October, and we haven’t even gotten to Opening Day yet. Los Angeles is giving fans no reason to think that they won’t succeed this year, but after a historic heartbreak last fall, do they have to win it all this season?

I am wildly optimistic, you could even say that I am optimistic to a fault. Even during Game 7, I stayed positive. It wasn’t until the end of the game when the Astros celebrated on the field at Dodger Stadium, did I finally convince myself it was all over. “They’ll win it in 2018,” I told myself. “This isn’t the end.”

It’s not the end, not in the slightest, and the Dodgers might win the World Series this year. They’ve given fans no reason to believe otherwise, but things could change. Their season could end before the leaves change color. They may not get the chance to redeem themselves. I think they will, but the question we find ourselves asking isn’t if the Dodgers will win the World Series this year, it’s whether or not they have to.

Do the Los Angeles Dodgers have to win the World Series in 2018, erasing all signs of defeat from the past few years?

I’d like to be optimistic and say that they don’t have to; say that the Dodgers can go on winning games with this same squad without winning the World Series, and see that as enough. It’s not enough. I doubt it ever will be. It’s a good thing, it’s a very good thing, but there are better and brighter goals to attain, and it begins and ends with a victory in the World Series.

Do the Dodgers have to win the World Series this fall?

Yes. They do.

Here’s how they can do it.