LOS ANGELES — Mess around and find out.

MLB started offering a five-day break to the top two teams in each league before the 2022 postseason. The first two years, the Dodgers had one of those breaks and then flamed out in the first round, losing 3-1 to the San Diego Padres in 2022 and 3-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The debate became whether a five-day break before the most important games of the season was a benefit or a challenge to be overcome – especially if that team wasn’t exactly pushed to the finish (as the Dodgers weren’t in 2022 or 2023).

The Dodgers brainstormed different ways to handle the bye break in 2024 and obviously overcame it to win the World Series title – but only after falling behind two games to one in the National League Division Series against the Padres.

The

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