L.A. MADNESS: Dodgers celebrate win with long-awaited parade

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Los Angeles Dodgers fans celebrated a World Series title with a parade on Friday, the first time since 1988 they could offer such a salute to the squad.

The Dodgers won their eighth Major League Baseball crown, and second in five seasons, on Wednesday by defeating the New York Yankees on the road to capture the best-of-seven final four games to one.

It marked their first championship since 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic prevented a parade to commemorate the feat that year.

On Friday, for the first time in 36 years, the Dodgers were able to celebrate with fans in a downtown Los Angeles parade as well as a special gathering at Dodger Stadium.

“I’m totally overwhelmed with the amount of fans that are here,” Japanese slugger Shohei Ohtani said through a translator.

“It’s incredible.”

“It has been an incredible year. I was so happy I was able to contribute. The fans, and everybody, have been so welcoming.”

Cheering fans showed their love for players who were in a caravan on double decker buses.

“This is incredible. LA really showed out,” said Freddie Freeman, the World Series Most Valuable Player. “It’s hard to believe. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

“I think this has made up for 2020, too. These fans are going crazy. It’s fun to be a part of. This is special. It’s hard to even put into words. This makes everything so much better. This is amazing.”

Thousands of fans chanted, “Let’s go Dodgers,” as the buses drove along the city streets, some of the supporters having arrived seven hours before the start in the pre-dawn darkness to find a good spot.

“This has got to be way more than two million people,” Dodgers standout Tommy Edman said.

“It’s like the whole city of LA is out here to support us. I feel like I didn’t really comprehend it until today being out here.”

“This is crazy, man. I love this,” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said from atop an open-top bus. “This is a dream for me and I love it.”

The Dominican star hit a career-high 33 home runs and drove in 99 runs for the Dodgers this season.

“Thank you for welcoming me to Los Angeles and making me feel part of this family,” Hernandez shouted to the supporters.

“It means the world. This is everything for me.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass started the parade at City Hall over its 45-minute route with members of the Dodgers traveling atop double-decker buses with the team arriving at its home ballpark for further festivities.

“I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else but the Dodgers,” three-time World Series champion Mookie Betts said.