Dodgers celebrate World Series championship
Los Angeles finally got their parade. It has been years in the making, and after missing out in 2020, the world champion Dodgers celebrated in the streets with their fans for the first time since 1988.
This World Series title feels different from 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the season to 60 games and fans not being allowed to attend games at Dodgers Stadium, 2024 is a much sweeter victory. Beating the Padres and both New York teams in the process is the cherry on top.
After driving through a sea of an estimated 250,000 fans, the team made their way into the stadium, and Dodgers play-by-play broadcaster Joe Daivs kicked off the celebration, bringing Ice Cube to the stage.
Shohei Ohtani greets Los Angeles Dodgers fans during a team ceremony at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Photo credit: Dennis J. Freeman/News4usonline
“This feels like 36 years of waiting and then an extra four years. Now you’re celebrating, right,” said Daivs. “Let’s remember we are celebrating a birthday today, too; number 34 is up there celebrating this with us. Happy birthday, Fernando Valenzuela.”
Kike Hernandez credited Ice Cube for a Game 2 victory and said they also knew they had Game 3 in the bag once the Yankees decided to go with Fat Joe as their counter pregame performance.
“I said the 2020 decade is going to be the LA Dodgers decade and guess what? Who has more championships than us in the 2020s? Nobody,” said Hernandez. “Ice Cube came out in Game 2, and with his performance, we didn’t even need to play the game we had already won.”
Walker Buehler appeared to be having the most fun of anyone on Friday and was only given a short stint on the microphone. He was wearing a game-used Orel Hershiser jersey from the 1988 World Series and received some of the loudest cheers from the crowd. Dodgers fans hope this was not his last hurrah with the team.
2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freeman salutes the crowd at Dodger Stadium on Nov. 1, 2024. The city of Los Angeles helped put on a parade and celebration for the Dodgers after they defeated the New York Yankees in five games to win the World Series. Photo credit: Dennis J. Freeman/News4usonline
If striking out Alex Verdugo for the last out of the World Series was the last time Walker Buehler takes the mound for Los Angeles, it was a legendary run in Dodgers blue. In four career World Series appearances, he is 2–0 with a save and 24 strikeouts, allowing only one run across 19 innings pitched.
This World Series puts the “Mickey Mouse ring” comments to rest and ends the playoff choker accusations. Even though they are no longer on the team, this celebration also champions players like Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen, Cody Bellinger, AJ Pollock, and Corey Seager, who missed out on the full LA experience.
This championship was for Fernando, Tommy, and Vin. This one was for the Dodgers fans and the entire city of Los Angeles.
“When I became a Dodgers, it was for twelve or thirteen years. It was a lot of years, and we have gotten two so far. I have eight to nine years left. We got to get to at least five or six, right?” said Mookie Betts.
It is now on the other MLB teams to make a move. The Dodgers brought in the biggest superstar in the game, Shohei Ohtani, and it paid off in year one. Juan Soto is the biggest fish on the market, and it feels like any franchise that wants to be considered a contender has to cast their bait.