The Dynasty Dodgers
Shout it as loud as a Will Smith home run, ball soaring, arms flailing, blue immortality awaiting.
Shout it as deep as a Miguel Rojas home run, impossible, unimaginable, shaking all of Los Angeles, forever.
Shout it long enough to line a parade.
The Dynasty Dodgers.
Two measly outs from a World Series Game 7 defeat, the Dodgers roared back in the final breaths of baseball’s ultimate game Saturday to pull off an ultimate victory, overtaking the gritty Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre to steal a 5-4, 11-inning win for their second consecutive World Series championship.
A Dynasty Defined
In becoming the first team in 25 years to win consecutive championships, in winning their third title in six seasons, the Dodgers are now certifiably a dynasty.
And Rojas and Smith are certifiably Dodgers icons after Rojas’ home run tied the score in the ninth and Smith’s home run gave them the lead and decided the game in the 11th.
“We’ve put together something pretty special, I do know that,” said Manager Dave Roberts after leading their fifth champagne party this fall. “To do what we’ve done in this span of time is pretty remarkable. I guess let the pundits and all the fans talk about if it’s a dynasty or not, but I’m pretty happy with where we’re at.”
The Final Moments
The classic ended with an Alejandro Kirk double play grounder in the bottom of 11th induced by a third icon, Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who finished with 2 scoreless innings despite throwing 96 pitches 24 hours earlier.
The Dodgers raced to the center of the diamond where they bounced and danced in a group hug that became a massive dogpile of both exultation and relief.
It was a fitting celebration for an ending that was so wild, at one point Roberts simply tugged his cap down toward his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief.
The Road to Victory
“There were so many pressure points and how that game could have flipped, and we just kept fighting, and guys stepped up big,” said Roberts. “So I could just go on and on about the big plays, the big performances, and it’s one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of.”
With one out in the ninth, trailing 4-3, Rojas, who entered the game without a hit in a month, hit a full-count slider from Jeff Hoffman over the left-field fence for only his second home run since August.
“We were going to play 27 outs,” said Roberts. “Obviously, it doesn’t look great in that moment, but I trust him to take the at-bat, and he got a pitch that he could handle and hit the biggest hit he’s ever had in his life.”
Turning Points
Then, in the bottom of the ninth of a 4-all tie, with the Blue Jays having loaded the bases with one out, Rojas created greatness again by making a great stop of a Daulton Varsho grounder and throwing out Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the plate.
As if that wasn’t dramatic enough, Andy Pages added to that greatness by leaping over Kiké Hernández in left field to catch an Ernie Clement fly ball to end the inning.
Two innings later, Smith hit a Shane Bieber hanging slider 366 feet over the left-field fence for their first lead of the night, and one just knew the Dodgers weren’t going to give it away.
A Season of Greatness
“I’m having a hard time unpacking it, just what a great series, what a great game, and I think we’re going to be talking about this game for a long time,” said Roberts.
It was an appropriately resilient three-inning finish that capped an ultimately inspirational eight-month marathon.
A season that began in Japan in March ended in Canada on Saturday night with the Dodgers conquering all worlds in between.
There was arguably more pressure on this team than any other collection of players in major league history, and, yet, somehow, the Dodgers thrived.
The Impact of Ownership and Management
In the end, the team that couldn’t lose didn’t lose. The invincible Hall of Fame lineup proved unbeatable. The richest team in baseball history was pure money.
The team that everyone outside of Los Angeles booed ended up with cheers that will echo through the ages.
Goliath won. Sorry about that, Davids.
While celebrating the sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, Dave Roberts famously shouted to the Dodger Stadium crowd, “Before the season they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball. Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!”
In showing their mettle time and again in this classic seven-game series, the Dodgers didn’t ruin baseball, they revived it.
Conclusion
It was first and foremost a victory for the Mark Walter-led Guggenheim Baseball Management. With this victory they become unquestionably the best owners in baseball and soon, with Walter’s purchase of the Lakers complete, they could soon be the best owners in all of sports.
They make a ton of money, but they pour it back into the team at a pace unmatched by their baseball peers. Ticket prices go up, but some of that money goes right to Freddie Freeman. Parking prices are obscene, but so is the ability of Shohei Ohtani.
Not once in their 13-year tenure has Guggenheim been accused of passing up talent to save money. In most other markets, that is an accusation made daily.
FAQs
Q: Who won the World Series?
A: The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series.
Q: How many games did it take for the Dodgers to win the series?
A: The Dodgers won the series in 7 games.
Q: Who hit the game-winning home run?
A: Will Smith hit the game-winning home run in the 11th inning.
Q: Who was the Series MVP?
A: Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the Series MVP.
Q: How many championships have the Dodgers won in the last six seasons?
A: The Dodgers have won three championships in the last six seasons.
