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.
Neighbors banged pots and pans on their porches while a chorus of fireworks, cheers and sirens rang out in Highland Park. The sheer display of fireworks across the city rivaled the Fourth of July. Fans converged on the streets near L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, dancing, setting off firework and chanting. Police began clearing them out of the intersection not long after the game.
Fans also gathered in little Tokyo near the Ohtani mural, to celebrate the beloved player who became the first in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases this season.
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.
“Oh my God that was the craziest game I’ve ever seen,” one fan told KTLA-TV at a watch party in downtown L.A. “We are back on top after 2020 and we finally get our parade!”
The victory, which marked the team’s second series win in five years and eighth in history, was met with fireworks, dancing and delight across the City of Angels.
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
