Over the summer, the Dodgers achieved a goal that nobody believed they could: win a lot of games. The Dodgers season seemed at a loss on June 22 with a record of 31-42 and 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks. However, since that day, the Dodgers are 53-17 and are currently 12 games ahead of the now second-place Diamondbacks. Their quest to win games was historic for the team, leaving it a year to remember for the organization and fans all over the country.

The Dodgers entered the 2013 season with high hopes and a huge payroll. The franchise began the year with a payroll of $216.3 million, second in the majors only to the New York Yankees. The team features marquee names such as Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, and Clayton Kershaw. The big question to the media and sports fans was whether or not the personalities of stars would fit together. The first two months of the season answered that question. With a record 22-30 in May, the Dodgers’ exorbitant season seemed to be a disappointment.

After June 22, however, the Dodgers had several historic runs that made watching every game special to a Dodger fan. At one point, the Dodgers had a road winning streak of 15 games, which was the best seen in 29 years, when the Detroit Tigers had a streak of 17 games. In the month of August, the Dodgers went 23- 6, which became the best month in Dodgers history since they moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958.

It was a young animated Cuban rookie by the name of Yasiel Puig who brought the Dodgers the energy they had been struggling to find all year. He made his major league debut on June 2, 2013, just 20 days before the Dodgers turned their season around. In the month of June, Puig was voted National League Player of the Month and as National League Rookie of the Month. The Dodgers, however, were prepared to assist Puig any way they could by defending him when interrogated by the media. After all, it was Puig who has been contributing greatly to the historic turnaround season that the Dodgers had.

The Dodgers season thus far has been improving, to say the least, and only bigger and better days await them. Though many things are unsure in sports, two are guaranteed for now: there will be the playoffs in October, and the Dodgers will be there. With this amazing summer, however, the Dodgers’ season will go down in baseball history as one for the ages.