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 deciding game in the World Series while trailing by five runs, coming back to beat the New York Yankees 7–6 in Game 5.
Fans filled the streets near LA Live in downtown Los Angeles and on Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, dancing, setting off fireworks and singing. Neighbors banged pots and pans on their porches as a chorus of fireworks, cheers and sirens rang out across 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 Los Angeles Police Department reported that several stores near 8th Street and Broadway appeared to have been burglarized, but no details were available. Vandalism has been reported in the area.
The fireworks display across the city rivaled that of the Fourth of July, while Los Angeles City Hall and the “D” on the Hollywood Sign were lit up in Dodger blue to celebrate the victory.
A flag-waving fan stands on the open sunroof of a car as the vehicle moves along Whittier Boulevard.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Authorities had closed some streets in East Los Angeles and downtown in hopes of preventing some of the more intense celebrations that took place during the Dodgers’ 2020 victory.
However, the energy from the fans could not be contained.
In East Los Angeles, the fireworks began to explode as Walker Buehler struck out Alex Verdugo to win the series. People poured out of their homes and headed toward Whittier Boulevard, the historic corridor of the Eastside.
In their Yankee Stadium locker room, Dodgers players pop champagne to mark the franchise’s eighth World Series title.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“It’s so amazing!” yelled Jessica Gutierrez, 33, a Boyle Heights resident. “We’ve waited so long for this, and you just have to be with all your fellow Dodgers fans.”
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol had blocked the intersection of Whittier and Atlantic boulevards in an attempt to prevent the cruise, but to no avail: the cars simply turned around on Hillview Avenue.
Near Hoefner Avenue in front of the Commerce Center, fans stood in the middle of Whittier Boulevard to record the parade. Although there were too many people to do full laps, the cars still spun their tires to burn the rubber, to the cheers of the crowd.
“Oh my god, that was the craziest game I’ve ever seen”a fan told KCAL News at a watch party in downtown Los Angeles. “We’re back on top after 2020 and we finally have our parade!”
The Dodgers parade will take place Friday and will be the first in 36 years after hopes for a community celebration in 2020 were thwarted by COVID-19.
“Tonight we showed the world that Los Angeles is made up of CHAMPIONS”wrote Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement on X. “Congratulations to the Dodgers on tonight’s win. Hope to see you again in Los Angeles!”
After falling behind 5-0 in the first four innings of the game at Yankee Stadium, the team mounted a stunning five-run comeback in the fifth.
“It was scary! I was so nervous, but we kept our faith and luckily things worked out as planned”a fan told KCAL News at a watch party in Pasadena. “I’m just happy and excited to have won.”
Joyful fans converge at Tom’s Watch Bar at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday evening.
(Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)
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 evened the score with a five-run fifth inning, aided by two Yankees errors.
After the Yankees regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the eighth.
City News Service contributed to this article
