Dodgers feel tested for run at repeat after so much adversity in the regular season

They didn't dogpile on the mound. They were animated but relatively reserved in an abbreviated clubhouse champagne shower.

- BY JACK HARRIS

BLAKE TREINEN says fatigue: was a factor for the Dodgers but not an excuse.

It was no doubt a celebratory moment for the Dodgers, capturing their 12th division title in the last 13 years with an 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

But it was accompanied by moments of internal reflection, as well. About a regular season that has posed challenges at every turn. About a six-month slog in which frustration and adversity were around every corner.

"This has been a tough year," third baseman Max Muncy said.

"Not the smoothest of rides to get here," first baseman Freddie Freeman added.

The reasons why are numerous, from early-season injuries in the rotation to an extended second-half slump from the lineup to a string of bullpen collapses that made the division race unexpectedly close.

Through it all, however, ran one common thread.

While there is no universal consensus over the veracity of a so-called "World Series hangover," some team members have acknowledged the unique obstacles that have come with trying to repeat as champions.

There is the physical toll. The mental exhaustion. The threat of complacency and stagnant satisfaction.

In their bid to win a second consecutive World Series this year - something no team has accomplished since the New York Yankees' three-peat from 1998 to 2000 - the Dodgers at various times seemed to battle each one.

"Baseball is different than any other sport," manager Dave Roberts said. "The psyche part of it, the battle of attrition, all that stuff kind of matters. There's probably many reasons why [repeating as World Series champions] hasn't been done since the Yankees did it. But that's something we're trying to do. We have an opportunity to make history. It hasn't been easy. But that's part of it."