LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers have invited history to come to them, assembling an overwhelming collection of talent and reinforcing the reigning World Series champions with even more cash in pursuit of something baseball has not seen in 25 years: a repeat winner.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves by a 3-1 final on Tuesday night (box score), improving their record to 7-0 in the process. The Dodgers have now matched the best start to a season by a defending World Series champion in Major League Baseball history,

The Yankees held a 3-2 lead over Los Angeles in the 10th inning during Game 1 of the World Series, but a grand slam from Freddie Freeman gave the Dodgers a walk-off victory and helped them gain momentum that they carried through the rest of the series.