From the last out to the ring ceremony the following spring, being a World Series champion offers countless opportunities to bask in the glory of victory.
But for Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, it all starts with the parade.
“The joy of it, when you get that last out, no matter what game it is, it’s special. That night is special,” Friedman said. “But being able to take a breather and then experience a parade, in my opinion, that’s what has always motivated me to want to win.”
On Monday afternoon, the Dodgers and the city of Los Angeles celebrated a World Series title, their third in the last six years.
The first of those three championships came during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, when a parade could not be held, which has made the team value the festivities of the last two campaigns even more.
The party began with a parade through downtown, where the Dodgers paraded in double-decker buses as fans filled the streets to greet the team.
“It seemed like there were millions of fans filling the streets,” said Clayton Kershaw, whose illustrious career concluded with a championship.
“That we were able to bring another championship home, celebrate it like this, and that I have been a part of this and this team, is the perfect way to close the cycle.”
From there they headed to Dodger Stadium, where more than 52,700 people were already making the place resound as they followed the parade through the screens.
After winning back-to-back titles, the Dodgers are already hungry for more, a sentiment shared by nearly every player who spoke on the stadium’s main stage.
“We’re not trying to do what another team did,” Freddie Freeman said. “We just want to win every year. That’s why we do it.”
Kershaw said goodbye at the top. And he hopes his teammates finish what they started, even though he will no longer be on the field. “I know we’re going to get another one. And I’m going to see it, just like all of you.”— MLB.com