LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles celebrated with a grand parade through Downtown Los Angeles, concluding the festivities at Dodger Stadium in front of 42,448 fans on Friday afternoon.
After defeating the New York Yankees in five games, the Dodgers celebrated their first championship parade since 1988. Although they won the World Series in 2020, there was no parade in the streets of Los Angeles due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Ice Cube kicked off the celebration at Dodger Stadium with another iconic performance.
Clayton Kershaw is the longest tenured player on the team but wasn't able to contribute as he's done over the last 16 seasons. Kershaw spoke to the crowd of fans and was visibly emotional and honest.
"I didn't have anything to do with this championship, but it feels like I have the best feeling in the world.”
Kershaw (2-2, 4.50 ERA) made his season debut on July 25 against the San Francisco Giants, starting in seven games. With this appearance, Kershaw became the first Dodgers pitcher in at least 17 seasons to return to the team after an extended absence. He had spent the first half of the year recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and completed three minor league rehab starts before making his return to the Dodgers.
“I’m just so thankful to every single fan that came out. So thankful how well they’ve treated me and my family for all these years. I mean, we’ve been through it, you know, we’ve been through some stuff, so to be able to see them as happy as they were, being able to celebrate with us. It means the world to me. It really does.”
On Friday, Kershaw announced he is scheduled for foot and knee surgery next Wednesday.
“I’ll be back,” Kershaw said.
Kershaw has the option to opt into the final year of his contract with the Dodgers. As Kershaw walked off the stage, he said, “Dodger for life.”
Kershaw's biggest challenge heading into next season will be focusing on pitching with accuracy rather than relying solely on speed. Although his fastball has decreased to the range of 90-91 mph, effective pitch selection and precise location will be crucial for his success. Kershaw can look to the examples of Greg Maddux and Andy Pettitte, both of whom excelled by mastering their ability to control the game without throwing high-velocity pitches.
Freddie Freeman, the World Series MVP, had a historic run, starting with a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 off Nestor Cortes in the 10th inning.
The Dodgers dominated the series, winning four out of five games against the star-studded Yankees. Freeman extended his remarkable streak by hitting home runs in six consecutive World Series games, dating back to his time with the Atlanta Braves.
“Three months ago, when I came back after my son got sick, you guys showed out for my family and I,” Freeman said. “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.”
Freeman faced significant challenges in recent months due to an ankle injury that sidelined him for several games, in addition to missing time when his son was ill.
Mookie Betts is celebrating his third World Series championship, and his second with the Dodgers. Betts
“I got three, I'm trying to fill this hand up LA,” Betts said.
Betts shared with fans his desire to win more championships in the future, knowing he's locked in for the decade. He signed an extension in July 2020 for 12 years worth $365 million.
When discussing millions of dollars, we should highlight Shohei Ohtani, who had an extraordinary regular season by becoming the first player in history to achieve a 50-home run and 50 stolen base season. Although he injured his shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series, he did not miss any playing time.
Ohtani addressed the fans in English for the first time without a translator.
“This is so special, I’m so honored to be here. Congratulations, Los Angeles. Thank you, guys.” Ohtani said.
Ohtani had 700 million reasons to be ecstatic, especially when Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in his first year playing in the United States, made significant contributions to winning a World Series.
Yamamoto was encouraged by his teammates to take the microphone and address the fans, and he finally took the microphone.
“Thank you, Dodger fans.” Yamamoto said.
This was also Yamamoto's first time speaking to the fans in English.
The Hernandez brothers addressed the crowd at Dodger Stadium while a player continuously took the mic, making the event more engaging.
Teoscar Hernandez received the longest ovation when he was called to the podium by Betts. As he began his speech, he grew emotional as he felt the love from the Dodger fans.
Kike Hernandez has been instrumental in the postseason, helping the Dodgers secure two championships in the last five years.
“I said the 2020 decade is going to be the L.A. Dodger decade and guess what? Who has more championships than us in the 2020s? Absolutely nobody. Absolutely nobody.”
Kike Hernandez wasn't finished expressing his thoughts. He took a shot at New York rapper Fat Joe after first giving respect to Ice Cube for his tremendous fan support and the impressive performances he had over the past week.
"This guy, used to be fat. He's not fat anymore. His name is Joe. We didn't need to play, because after that performance we had already won." Kike Hernandez said.