After the Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, general manager Farhan Zaidi said there was a strong sentiment to return the following year with the game group.
Zaidi compared the situation to playing pickup basketball with a team you feel confident about. That feeling stretched to the coaching staff as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and the bulk of his coaches returned.
A turbulent season saw the Dodgers nonetheless return to the World Series, only to be defeated a second year in a row, this time by the Boston Red Sox in five games.