It started, as all meltdowns do, without any warning or fanfare, with a single, otherwise nondescript setback that gave not even the slightest hint of the avalanche that would follow.

On Aug. 26, an idyllic, 78-degree evening in Southern California, the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped a 3-0 affair to the Milwaukee Brewers, sending their record to 91-37. At the time, it represented nothing more than a minor obstacle in a season for the ages, one where the Dodgers would vie not only for their first championship since 1988, but...