Ecstatic fans took to the streets of Los Angeles Wednesday night to express their joy as the Dodgers won their eighth World Series.
They became the first Major League Baseball team to win a World Series deciding game while trailing by five points.
Fans flooded the streets near L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles and Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, dancing, setting off fireworks and cheering. In Highland Park, neighbors banged pots and pans on their balconies as fireworks, cheers and a chorus of sirens rang out. And in Little Tokyo, fans gathered near the Shohei Ohtani mural to celebrate their beloved player, who became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases this season.
Fireworks were set off across the city, rivaling Independence Day, and Los Angeles City Hall and the “D” of the Hollywood sign were lit up Dodger blue in celebration of the victory.
Officials shut down streets in East Los Angeles and parts of downtown in hopes of thwarting some of the more violent celebrations that occurred during the Dodgers’ championship in 2020.
Despite this, the energy of the fans could not be contained.
Fireworks started going off in East Los Angeles the moment Walker Buehler struck out Alex Verdugo to win the series. People streamed out of their homes and headed toward Whittier Boulevard, the East Side’s historic corridor.
“This is just unbelievable!” exclaimed Jessica Gutierrez, 33, of Boyle Heights. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time. You just have to be with your fellow Dodgers fans.”
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol blocked the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Atlantic Boulevard in an attempt to prevent the cruise, but to no avail, and the car simply made a U-turn on Hillview Boulevard.
Near Hefner Avenue in front of the Commerce Center, fans stood in the middle of Whittier Boulevard to record the parade as it passed. Even though it was too crowded for a full spin-out, each car still spun its tires, burning rubber and cheering the crowd.
“Oh my god, that was the craziest game I’ve ever seen,” one fan told KCAL News at a viewing party in downtown Los Angeles. “After 2020, we are back on top and finally have a parade!”
The Dodgers parade will be held Friday for the first time in 36 years, after hopes of a joint celebration in 2020 were thwarted by COVID-19.
“Tonight, we showed the world that Los Angeles is made of champions,” LA Mayor Karen Bass wrote in a statement on X. “Congratulations to the Dodgers on tonight’s win. We look forward to seeing you in LA again!”
In the game at Yankee Stadium, they were down 0-5 in the first four innings, but the team made a spectacular comeback by scoring five runs in the fifth inning.
“I was nervous! I was so nervous, but we kept the faith and luckily things went our way,” one fan told KCAL News at a Pasadena watch party. “I’m really happy and excited to win.”
The Yankees scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning on home runs by Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm. They scored one point in the second and third innings, extending their lead to 5-0. Aided by two errors by the Yankees, the Dodgers scored five runs in the fifth inning to tie the game.
After the Yankees regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the eighth.
Wednesday night’s game was the Dodgers’ second chance to win a championship.
The team went into Game 4 at Yankee Stadium without allowing a run in three games, but lost 11-4, thanks in part to a home run with the bases loaded in the third inning by Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. With this victory, the Yankees became the fourth team in World Series history to win Game 4 after losing the first three games.
Major League Baseball researcher Sarah Langs said there was a special shoutout Wednesday for Freddie Freeman, the only player in history to hit a home run in the first four games of a World Series.
City News Service contributed to this article
