Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts said the National League West rival San Diego Padres were the best team in baseball when the two teams met in the National League Division Series.

“We’re playing them and at the time, to be fair, they were way more talented than we were,” Betts said on his podcast. “That was probably the most talented team I’ve seen. They were the best team in baseball.”

The Padres went into the postseason as the best team in baseball and many speculated that they would hand the Dodgers another first-round exit.

The NLDS kicked off at Chavez Ravine. The matchup felt as if the first round of the playoffs was actually the Fall Classic. It was intense. It was dramatic. It was everything fans hoped it would be.

Game 1 of the NLDS featured a Shohei Ohtani three-run homer that helped the Dodgers win the series opener, 7-5. In the bottom of the second, the Dodgers were down three runs. It was early in the ball game, but the energy felt as if San Diego was on pace to win the highly-touted matchup.

But Ohtani kept the Dodgers afloat with his home run and the momentum of the series opener quickly switched into the Dodgers’ favor. However, the Padres fought back in Game 2 handing the Dodgers a beat down with a 10-2 victory.

History looked as if it would repeat itself as the Padres snagged Game 3 of the NLDS with a final score of 6-5. San Diego had a 2-1 series lead over the Dodgers and were one win away from advancing to the NLCS.

However, the Dodgers shut down the dynamic San Diego lineup for 24 consecutive scoreless innings to close out the intense playoff series. The Dodgers took the final two games of the series.

As the series unfolded, it was evident the Padres certainly had the stronger roster. While the Dodgers had an injury-riddled starting rotation and an overworked bullpen, the Padres had every puzzle piece needed to make a deep playoff run.

Yu Darvish, Michael King, and Dylan Cease looked unstoppable, while the Padres bullpen was being touted as the strongest in the majors.

Beyond talent, the Padres enjoyed playing a villain role in the October matchup. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jurickson Profar teased and taunted the crowd at Dodger Stadium.

Although the Dodgers got the last laugh, it speaks volumes that Betts and other members of the 2024 Dodgers have given the Padres their flowers for how talented their roster was. It wouldn’t be surprising if the two teams met again in October next year, and for many years to come.