The Champagne-soaked uniforms had been scrubbed, the beer grins back to tight smiles.
At Chavez Ravine this weekend, there was no evidence of the Dodgers' bubbly celebration days before in San Francisco, where a victory over the Giants gave them their third consecutive National League West Division championship.
In the wake of a dream victory, nightmares were being relived.
"I don't know if people in town are thinking about it," outfielder Carl Crawford said with a sigh. "But I know we are."
After consecutive postseasons ending in calamity, the Dodgers are stepping back on that tightrope again.