California dreamin’: an MLB October first for Dodgers, Angels and Padres?

In the 52 years that three major league teams have called Southern California home, how many times have all those teams made the playoffs in the same year?

Zero.

Let us dream, a SoCal dream.

On this Tuesday morning, two weeks into the season, the Dodgers have the best record in the National League. The Angels have the best record in the American League.

The Padres have the best record of any other team in the majors.

Dodgers

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April 12, 2021

This is where we are obligated to include the standard disclaimer: It’s early.

But SoCal Ball is looking good — enough to look toward an unprecedented October.

The Dodgers swept the Washington Nationals without star outfielders Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger. The Angels have three of the top 10 AL players in slugging percentage: Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Jared Walsh. The Padres are 5-1 since star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. was put on the injured list, and a team with a supposed weakness in its relief corps has a bullpen with a 1.00 earned-run average, best in the majors.

Tatis could be activated Friday, when the Dodgers arrive at Petco Park for the first of what Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner called “19 World Series games” between the teams in the regular season. We would say “let the hype begin,” but it already has.