Ecstatic fans took to the streets of Los Angeles in an explosive expression of joy Wednesday night after the Dodgers won the franchise’s eighth World Series title.
They became the first Major League Baseball team to win a World Series-clinching game when trailing by five runs.
Fans flooded the streets near L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles and on Whittier Boulevard in East L.A., dancing, setting off firework and chanting. Neighbors banged pots and pans on their porches while a chorus of fireworks, cheers and sirens rang out in Highland Park. And in little Tokyo, fans gathered near the Shohei Ohtani mural to celebrate the beloved player who became the first in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases this season.
The sheer display of fireworks across the city rivaled the Fourth of July, while Los Angeles City Hall and the “D” on the Hollywood sign were lighted up in Dodger blue to celebrate the win.
Authorities had closed off some streets in East L.A. and downtown in hopes of preventing some of the more intense celebrations that occurred when the Dodgers won in 2020.
Nevertheless, fan energy could not be contained.
In East Los Angeles, the fireworks began to blast the moment Walker Buehler struck out Alex Verdugo to win the series. People poured out of their houses and headed toward Whittier Boulevard, the Eastside’s historical corridor.
“This is so incredible!” screamed Boyle Heights resident Jessica Gutierrez, 33. “We’ve waited so long for this, and you just have to be with all your fellow Dodger fans.”
The L.A. Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol had blocked off the intersection of Whittier and Atlantic boulevards in an effort to stymie cruising, but to no avail — cars merely did a U-turn on Hillview Avenue.
Near Hoefner Avenue in front of the Commerce Center, fans stood in the middle of Whittier Boulevard to record the passing parade. Although it was too crowded to do full spin-outs, cars still spun their tires to burn rubber, to the cheer of crowds.
“Oh my God that was the craziest game I’ve ever seen,” one fan told KCAL News at a watch party in downtown L.A. “We are back on top after 2020 and we finally get our parade!”
The Dodgers parade will take place Friday and be the first in 36 years after hopes of a 2020 communal celebration were stymied by COVID-19.
“Tonight, we showed the world that Los Angeles is made of CHAMPIONS,” wrote L.A. Mayor Karen Bass in a statement on X. “Congratulations to the Dodgers on tonight’s win. Looking forward to seeing you back in LA!”
After falling behind 0-5 in the first four innings of the game at Yankee Stadium, the team staged a stunning five-run comeback in the fifth.
“It was nerve-wracking! I was so nervous, but we kept our faith and fortunately things went our way,” one fan told KCAL News at a watch party in Pasadena. “I’m just glad and excited we won.”
The Yankees scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning on home runs by Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm. They pushed the lead to 5-0 with single runs in the second and third innings. The Dodgers tied the score with a five-run fifth inning aided by two Yankee errors.
After the Yankees retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the eighth.
Wednesday evening’s game marked the Dodgers’ second chance to clinch the championship.
The team entered Game 4 at Yankee Stadium leading three games to none but lost 11-4 thanks in part to a third-inning grand slam hit by Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. That victory made the Yankees the fourth team in World Series history to win Game 4 after losing the first three games.
Special cheers were reserved on Wednesday for Freddie Freeman, the only player in history to hit a home run in each of the first four games of a World Series, according to Sarah Langs, a Major League Baseball researcher.
City News Service contributed to this article
