The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the brink of elimination after losing Game 3 of the NLCS to the Milwaukee Brewers, putting their potential three-peat at risk.
While the Dodgers have faced adversity over this stretch of success, they haven't been in this deep of a hole in a playoff series. This marks the first time Los Angeles is down 3-0 in a series since the 2023 NLDS, when they got swept in three games by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Even though the Dodgers will have to overcome the odds to make it back to the World Series, the team appears confident it can give it a shot.
"At the beginning of this year, we set out to do something historic," Max Muncy said, via ESPN. "It looks like we're going to have to make a little more history along the way if we want to accomplish that. That's the task ahead of us. We still have the pitching staff to be able to do it. We just have to get some hits."
Luckily for Los Angeles, they do not need to look far to get inspiration regarding how to complete a steep comeback, as their manager was a main character in the biggest comeback in MLB history. That would be Dave Roberts, whose best moment as a player came during the only 3-0 comeback in the history of the sport.
Here's a look at the history that the Dodgers will need to make in the NLCS.
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How many MLB teams have come back from down 3-0?
Only once has a team come back from down 3-0 to win a series in Major League Baseball. Of course, that was the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who won four straight games to beat their rival New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.
2004 Red Sox vs. Yankees
The 2004 Red Sox are considered one of the most iconic teams in MLB history, as their 3-0 comeback vs. the Yankees led to their first World Series title in 86 years. After New York trounced Boston 19-8 in Game 3, it seemed like the Yankees would once again return to the World Series, but Boston scratched out a few wins to extend the series.
The biggest highlight of that series was Dave Roberts' steal to get into scoring position in the ninth inning of Game 4 against Mariano Rivera, allowing him to score on a single.
Games 4 and 5 of that series both went to extra innings, combining for 26 frames, but they each ended with David Ortiz walk-off hits that kept the series alive and gave Boston life. After the Red Sox eeked out a two-run win in Game 6, they blew out the Yankees in Game 7 in New York to complete the comeback.
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Closest 3-0 comebacks in MLB history
It is so tough to even attempt a 3-0 comeback in the MLB playoffs, as only twice has a team even forced a Game 7 when facing that deficit. Besides the 2004 Red Sox, the only other team to get in position to pull off the comeback was the 2020 Houston Astros, who did so under strange circumstances.
The Astros drew the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS, but the altered postseason as a result of the COVID pandemic was a central figure. All seven games in that series were played in Petco Park in San Diego without any fans, eliminating a true home-field advantage that plays into why comebacks are so tough.
All three games in that series were decided by three runs or less, so the closeness of the series meant it wasn't much of a surprise that Houston rattled off the wins. However, the Astros couldn't finish the job as the Rays won Game 7 4-2.
In fact, only two other teams in baseball history even forced a Game 6 when down 3-0: the 1998 Atlanta Braves and the 1999 New York Mets. Otherwise, teams that go down 3-0 in a series have lost that series in either four or five games.
