L.A. toasts its World Series champion Dodgers: ‘The city needed this parade’

Many of them spent four years dreaming of it. Others had waited their whole baseball life.

Two days after winning the 2024 World Series, and four years removed from a 2020 title that was never properly christened, the Dodgers celebrated with all of Los Angeles on Friday, parading through the streets of downtown on open-top double-decker buses before holding a championship rally in front of a packed Dodger Stadium.

Close to a quarter-million people were estimated to be lining the streets along the parade route, packed dozens of rows deep from City Hall to the Walt Disney Concert Hall to the procession’s endpoint at Fifth and Flower.

Then, the Dodgers bused back to the ballpark and entered Chavez Ravine to a hero’s welcome from center field, being serenaded by another 42,000 fans less than 48 hours after the team’s Game 5 World Series win over the New York Yankees.

Read more: Dodgers World Series parade: Thousands celebrate in the streets and at Dodger Stadium

“It’s one thing to celebrate with your coaches, the organization, the players,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But I’m telling you, the game is about the players and the fans. And in 2020 we just didn’t have that opportunity …The city needed this parade.”

Indeed, Friday had been a long time coming for the Dodgers, who last celebrated a parade in 1988 after being unable to hold one following their pandemic-season title in 2020.

Twelve players from that year’s team had a hand in this year’s championship, including postseason heroes Mookie Betts, Walker Buehler and franchise icon Clayton Kershaw.

“This was the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of,” a smiling, hoarse-voiced Kershaw said afterward, having joked onstage he “didn’t have anything to do with this championship” after missing most of the season, and all of the playoffs, with injuries.

“I’m just so thankful to every single fan that came out,” Kershaw added. “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.”

Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who passed the Commissioner’s Trophy back and forth during the parade, led both the 2020 and 2024 clubs as well.

“2020 was incredibly special, but it wasn’t anything like this,” Friedman said on stage. “To not be able to celebrate with the greatest fans in the world left a little bit of an empty feeling.”

Added Roberts, with a smile: “We got our parade.”

The day started fittingly, with the half-dozen buses carrying the Dodgers and their families getting stuck in traffic while trying to reach City Hall. Once there, the players took in a scene they’d only before been able to envision: Throngs of thousands of people in Dodger blue, waving flags, signs and rally towels as the team drove by.

“I’m totally overwhelmed with the amount of fans who are here,” most valuable player shoo-in Shohei Ohtani said on the team’s broadcast of the event, through interpreter Will Ireton. “It’s incredible.”

“This is a blast,” added utilityman and National League Championship Series MVP Tommy Edman. “It feels like the whole city of L.A. is out supporting us today.”

Even Los Angeles native Jack Flaherty couldn’t believe it.

“I love this city,” said the veteran starting pitcher, a trade deadline acquisition who will be a free agent in the offseason. “I never want to leave. I never want to leave.”

Back at Dodger Stadium, a near-capacity crowd watched the parade on the stadium scoreboards, cheering every time a player would be interviewed. Once the team snaked up the 110 Freeway and returned to the ballpark, they roared in approval as Ice Cube performed on stage — with an ecstatic Roberts dancing beside him — and introduced the team.

“Like I said,” Roberts joked, riffing from one of Ice Cube’s songs, “today was a good day.”

The first player to address the crowd was Buehler, who was wearing Orel Hershisher’s game-used jersey from the 1988 World Series and punctuated his declaration of the team’s world championship with a pair of expletives.

Read more: Clayton Kershaw ‘at a loss for words’ after experiencing his first World Series parade

Kiké Hernández then got the crowd to drop an expletive, when called back to his viral on-field postgame interview following the Dodgers’ NL Division Series win.

“Hey Los Angeles, are we live?!” he shouted, before repeating the same question reporter Ken Rosenthal had asked him that night: “What makes this team different from every other Dodger team?”

“We don’t give a f—,” the crowd responded.

Hernández laughed. “They said it, not me.”

World Series MVP Freddie Freeman received some of the loudest cheers, after playing through a sprained ankle and rib injury throughout the postseason.

“I did everything I could to get on this field with you guys,” Freeman said. “And I’m glad I did, because we got a championship now.”

The decibel levels spiked again when Ohtani, the $700 million offseason signing, thanked the fan base in English.

“This is such a special moment for me,” Ohtani said. “I’m so honored to be here and to be part of this team.”

Outfielder Teoscar Hernández was the most emotional speaker, getting choked up at the end of his first season with the team.

Read more: Complete coverage: Dodgers defeat New York Yankees in 2024 World Series

“I just want to say thank you,” said the veteran outfielder, who will be a free agent this offseason but said he’s hopeful of re-signing with the club. “I play this game to win. And the Dodgers gave me the opportunity to come here, so I could help this organization, this team, these people, this city, win a championship. You guys made this dream come true.”

Betts, on the other hand, dreamed of doing it all again.

“We got two [World Series] so far,” said the outfielder, whose $365 million contract runs through 2032. “I got to get to at least five or six, right?”

Once again, the crowd erupted, hoping they wouldn’t be waiting 36 more years to experience a day like this again.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.