Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Baseball keeps no records of last laughs. If it did, Joe Torre may have led the majors this year.

Torre managed the Los Angeles Dodgers into Major League Baseball's playoffs by winning the National League West Division in his first year at the helm. The New York Yankees, his former employer, are out. Torre left the Yankees last year in a contract dispute after leading them to 12 straight postseason appearances, including four world championships.

``I don't know how ironic it is; I'm more surprised the Yankees aren't in,'' Torre told reporters last week after the Dodgers clinched a playoff berth on Sept. 25. Los Angeles opens the playoffs today in a best-of-five series against the Cubs in Chicago.

The road to the postseason wasn't smooth for the 68-year- old Torre, who piloted the club without the help of All-Stars such as Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra and Brad Penny, some of whom missed half the season because of injury. Torre's Dodgers then got a boost in July after acquiring Manny Ramirez, who batted .396 with 53 runs batted in during his 53 games in Los Angeles.

Torre quit the Yankees last October after rejecting a one- year, $5 million offer that included performance bonuses that could have paid him $8 million.

``That was uncomfortable to me,'' he said last week. ``Certain people in the organization felt they could motivate me with money. That was an insult. Like I had to be motivated to win with more money. It's nice not to have that here.''

Torre Commercial

Torre has settled in on the West Coast, even filming a commercial for insurer State Farm showing him surfing, doing yoga and driving a convertible. During a May trip to New York to play the Mets, he joked that there was less pressure in Los Angeles and a Dodgers loss wasn't front-page news like a Yankees defeat was in New York.

The Dodgers, who signed Torre to a three-year, $13 million contract, haven't had much postseason success since winning the World Series 20 years ago.

In their four playoff series appearances since, they have gone 1-12. Los Angeles was swept by Cincinnati in 1995, and by the Braves the following year. In 2004, the Dodgers took one game from the Cardinals and dropped all three to the Mets in 2006.

This season, the Dodgers were hampered by injuries and spent most of the year in second place behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in baseball's weakest division. Shortstop Furcal missed 126 games, third baseman Garciaparra was out 92, pitcher Penny missed 84, and closer Takashi Saito 53.

Jones Injury

Outfielder Andruw Jones, who left the Braves for a two- year, $36.2 million contract with the Dodgers, batted just .158 with three home runs in 75 games and finished the season on the disabled list.

Penny and Jones will miss the playoffs.

The team's fortunes turned on July 31 with the acquisition from the Boston Red Sox of Ramirez, the 36-year-old outfielder known also for his dreadlocks hair style. It cost the Dodgers third baseman Andy LaRoche and minor league pitcher Bryan Morris. Boston traded both to Pittsburgh for outfielder Jason Bay.

Ramirez's impact was immediate. He went 2-for-4 in his first game with the Dodgers and hit .415 in August with nine home runs. Los Angeles was 54-54 before acquiring the 12-time All-Star, and went 30-24 after he joined the club.

``When I left Boston, it was great, a new life,'' Ramirez told reporters last week. ``I wanted to show people that I play hard, and I wanted to show people what I could do.''

Dreadlock Wigs

The day after the trade was announced, the Dodgers said they sold 300 season-ticket packages for the remainder of the season. The team sold more than 6,000 Ramirez t-shirts and 500 dreadlock wigs in his first two weeks with the team, according to spokesman Josh Rawitch.

``Manny mania has taken hold,'' Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in an interview at the owners' meetings in Washington in August. ``He's created a lot of excitement. Most importantly, he's helping us win ballgames.''

Players have also responded to the addition of Ramirez.

``I don't know if it's possible we'd be in the playoffs without him,'' said Andre Ethier, the Dodgers' right fielder. ``He's given us confidence, that extra boost. You add a guy like him to the lineup and it takes a little pressure and some of the self-doubt away.''

The Dodgers have the worst record of all eight teams in the playoffs, a fact not lost on Hank Steinbrenner, co-chairman of the Yankees.

Steinbrenner, Dodgers

While in the American League, the 89-73 Yankees were five games better than the Dodgers, prompting Steinbrenner to write in last week's Sporting News magazine that baseball's current postseason format ``isn't fair.''

``I'm happy for Joe, but you have to compare the divisions and the competition,'' he added. ``Does that make the Dodgers a better team? No.''

Torre was asked if Steinbrenner's remarks offended him, given the circumstances of his departure.

Surrounded by a dozen television cameras, he smiled broadly and said, ``No. It's a natural reaction.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Janofsky in Los Angeles at mjanofsky@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 1, 2008 03:01 EDT