Dodgers Clinch No. 1 Seed in 2019 National League Playoffs After Braves Loss

The road to the World Series officially runs through Los Angeles in the National League.

Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA noted the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the top seed in the National League on Tuesday thanks to the Atlanta Braves' 9-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals. That means the Dodgers will enjoy home-field advantage in the NL Divisional Series and Championship Series should they advance that far.

Whether the Dodgers have home-field advantage in a potential World Series could depend on who they play. Their 100-56 record is better than the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins' 97-60 mark but falls short when compared to the 102 wins of the New York Yankees in the AL East and Houston Astros in the AL West.

There has been little doubt all season the Dodgers were the team to beat in the National League.

The starting staff alone of Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill puts them in position to win almost every time they take the field, and the offensive combination of Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Justin Turner and Corey Seager, among others, is a nightmare for opposing pitchers.

However, the question is the same for the Dodgers as it has been every year of late.

Can they parlay all that talent and regular-season success into a championship run in October?

Los Angeles hasn't won the World Series since the 1988 campaign and has made a habit of falling just short in recent seasons. It lost the 2018 Fall Classic to the Boston Red Sox, 2017 World Series to the Astros and 2016 National League Championship Series to the Chicago Cubs.

The last three teams to defeat the Dodgers in the playoffs all lifted the Commissioner's Trophy, so the rest of the National League has a clear objective heading into October. It will just have to figure out a way to overcome Los Angeles' home-field advantage.