Last October was memorable for the Dodgers. They broke out of their 32-year-old World Series championship drought and witnessed the rise of several young players who developed within their organization. The weekend matchup against the Braves -- a three-game set that began Friday night at Truist Park -- will serve as another reminder of what it took to pull off a postseason success story.

Although shortstop Corey Seager took home NLCS MVP honors after he posted a .310 batting average with five home runs and 11 RBIs against Atlanta, an argument can be made that catcher Will Smith was just as valuable, contributing five RBIs in the final three games of the series.

"That was a long series -- seven games in seven days. It's still kind of fresh in our minds, probably,” Smith said. “But this is a new year, new series, and we're going to go out today and try to win a ball game.”

The NLCS was filled with more highs and lows than Los Angeles initially expected. After they swept NL West division rival San Diego in the NL Division Series, the Dodgers were on the brink of elimination at the hands of the Braves with a 3-1 series deficit in the NLCS.

Los Angeles was down by one run in the sixth inning of Game 5, and the glimmer of hope was dwindling with every out recorded by the Braves. With two outs and two runners on, Smith faced Atlanta lefty reliever Will Smith, and the identical names in the box score marked a turning point in the series for Los Angeles.

Los Angeles’ Smith blasted a down-and-in fastball from Atlanta’s Smith for a three-run homer to left field that gave the Dodgers a two-run lead. Los Angeles didn’t relinquish the lead as it took Game 5 with a 7-3 win.

"That’s probably right up there for me,” Smith said of the go-ahead home run. “Yeah, that’s a big moment. That's one of the top ones, for sure.”

The Dodgers won the remaining two games of the series and proceeded to win their first World Series title in over three decades.

Full bench, full 'pen
Slowly but surely, key players are returning from the injured list. AJ Pollock and Jimmy Nelson were the latest additions to the Dodgers’ active roster, marking the first time Los Angeles will have a full bench and 13 pitchers in over a month.

The Dodgers have found ways to make do since then as they've replicated their success from earlier in the season.

Another arm that will help bolster the rotation is expected to join the team rather soon. Manager Dave Roberts announced Tony Gonsolin will make a start in the upcoming Pittsburgh series.