For their eighth World Series win in franchise history, the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated like it was 1988. But wait, they also won the championship in 2020 but the pandemic prevented any sort of public celebration.
Thirty-six years of pent up passion for the Boys in Blue was on full display Friday in Los Angeles as team members and their families paraded through downtown on double-decker buses to the delight of an estimated 250,000 fans who lined the streets to cheer them on.
They had won the gleaming trophy Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium after besting the Yanks 4-1 in a series that gained its momentum from Freddie Freeman’s historic walk off grand slam homerun in Game 1. It was a moment destined to go down as one of the greatest in baseball history.
After the team arrived at Dodger Stadium, series MVP Freeman, who had battled a sprained ankle and broken rib cartilage earlier in the postseason, addressed the crowd of an estimated 42,000 fans.
“Three months ago, when I came back after my son got sick, you guys showed out for my family and I,” he told the cheering audience. “That was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had on a field. I did everything I could to be on this field for you guys and I’m glad I did because we have a championship now. I can’t wait to run this back next year.”
Along with the outright joy, tears were part of the celebration as Kershaw and Teoscar Hernández each got emotional before opening their speeches. There were also some funny moments provided by Max Muncy and Mookie Betts.
“Mook, what did I tell you every time they walked Shohei to get to you?” Muncy asked Betts. “I got 400 [million, too],” Betts responded.
The crowd was also thrilled to hear Shohei Otani grab the mic and address them in English, talking about how honored he was to be part of the winning team during his first season with the Dodgers in which he created the 50/50 club of 50 homers and 50 stolen bases– and then went on to add to those numbers during the regular season.
The celebrations took place on what would have been Fernando Valenzuela’s 64th birthday. The legendary Dodgers pitcher died last month and was honored with a uniform patch displaying his name and number during the World Series.
