On this day in 2020 World Series history, the Los Angeles Dodgers ended their championship drought by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in Game 6.

The Rays emerged victorious, taking a 1-0 lead that lasted until manager Kevin Cash controversially decided to bench Blake Snell. The Dodgers didn’t have another baserunner until the sixth inning, despite the left-hander giving up a leadoff single to Chris Taylor in the third inning.

After Austin Barnes singled with one out, Cash decided to switch to his bullpen, which ultimately proved to be a mistake. After Barnes scored on a wild pitch, Mookie Betts welcomed Nick Anderson with a double, and the Dodgers were tied.

When Snell was taken out, Betts would remark, “It was kind of like a sigh of relief.” He might have pitched a full game if he had continued in that one. He was rolling, however I’m not sure precisely what would have happened. He was throwing a really good change.

That was the arrival of Cy Young Snell. It was a breath of fresh air when he exited the game. Since we saw the bullpen guys a little better, we reasoned that we could scratch one across after having some really good at-bats against them. I must give you a cap tip, Snell. He did fantastic.

L.A. took a lead thanks to Corey Seager’s fielder’s choice hit, and the Dodgers added some insurance in the eighth inning with Betts’ solo home run.

Julio Urias was dominating yet another relief appearance by that point. After giving up a run with two outs in the seventh, he got the save by striking out four batters in 2.1 scoreless innings.

Dodgers are unable to replicate

The Dodgers, fresh off their 1988 championship, were strong favorites to win it all again. They went on to tie the team record of 106 wins at that point, but the Atlanta Braves defeated them in the National League Championship Series.

With that, the New York Yankees (1998–2000) were the last team in MLB history to win the title twice. That was likewise the case in 2022 when the Philadelphia Phillies eliminated the Braves. In 2023, the Texas Rangers defeated the Houston Astros to make it to the World Series once more.

The Dodgers rank sixth in MLB history with their seven World Series victories.