Dodgers News: Hail the Conquering Heroes

LOS ANGELES — The party in Chavez Ravine started as soon as the gates opened on Monday, because Los Angeles had a simple assignment: celebrate a back-to-back World Series champion. A big stage sat in center field, players packed in behind it, and thousands of fans filled the stands like it was another October night. Then a vintage Dodger blue convertible rolled out carrying Ice Cube and the World Series trophy, and the whole scene turned into the exact kind of L.A. championship moment the Dodgers love to stage.

Host Joe Davis welcomed everyone in, gave a quick nod to franchise history, and then ceded the afternoon to the people in uniform. This year’s program was built around a single idea the players kept repeating: this wasn’t a one-off. This is a run.

One of the clearest voices on that point was veteran and unlikely hero Miguel Rojas, who was the first player to step to the mic. He got a big ovation, waved, and went straight to the people in the seats. “For fans, you deserve this,” he said to cheers. “You fill this place every single day. We’re playing in front of 50,000 people every single night. And you deserve this day. We’re back-to-back champions.” That line hit, because the crowd was already chanting and Rojas put into words what they all felt. Then he turned and made sure the guys behind him got credit. “It’s not about me. It’s all about all these guys behind me. We couldn’t be here if Freddie doesn’t hit that home run in Game 3. Give it up for him. We couldn’t be here… if Yamamoto don’t pitch… we’re not here if [Andy Pages] don’t catch a ball in center field in extra innings. It’s about everybody.”

That set the tone. Every player who spoke circled back to the same thing: they got here because everybody did something.

The front office got its moment too. Team president Stan Kasten thanked “over 4 million” fans for coming through the turnstiles again and again, and later Freddie Freeman echoed him almost word for word: “Just like Stan said, over 4 million of you came to watch us play this year. And we delivered. Job in 2024, done. Job in 2025, done. Job in 2026… starts now.” That line turned into a chant in the infield, because it sounded like a team that fully expects to be back on that stage a year from now.

The middle section of the ceremony was the most fun, because that’s when the guy who lets his actions do most of the talking was handed the mic. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, smiling broadly, stepped forward and and said in best version of English, “You know what? Losing isn’t an option. Thank you, my teammates, my coaches, our amazing staff and all the fans. We did it together.”

Then came one of the lines of the day: “I got four,” Mookie Betts said of his World Series rings (three with LA). “Now it’s time to fill the hand all the way up, baby, for five. Three-peat ain’t never sounded so sweet. Somebody make that a T-shirt.” That’s exactly where this team’s head is right now. Two straight feels good. A third is the goal. And they weren’t shy about saying it into a microphone in front of everybody.

Mookie Betts’ influence showed up even when he wasn’t talking. “Los Angeles, like Mookie said, ever since I got here, we started winning,” Freddie Freeman said. “And there is nothing better than hoisting up these trophies for you guys.” That’s the internal belief on display: stars came here to win, and now they’re winning, so everybody is going to enjoy it.

The dynasty question, which has followed this group for years, finally got a real answer from the stage. Kiké Hernández stepped up, smiled, and said what a lot of fans were already yelling. “Everybody’s been asking questions about a dynasty,” he said. “How about three in six years? How about a back to back? Yes, we’re a mother effing dynasty, baby.” The place exploded. You could see players behind him laughing and clapping because he said it out loud. Before the final mic drop, Kiké put a pin in it, “I’d like to take this chance to apologize… to absolutely effing no-one, because a triple champs does whatever the f**k he wants!”

Blake Snell, who was brilliant in the first three rounds, walked to the front and took the mic. “Thank you all,” he said to the fans. “I’ve been wanting to say this for a long time… but there’s a parade inside my city!”

Max Muncy, the all-time home run king for this franchise in the postseason kept it simple. Wearing his newly minted cap backwards and sporting some cool looking shades, Munce stepped forward and said, “I’m going to keep this short so we can hear from the guy that everyone wants to hear from. All I gotta say, starting to get a little comfortable up here. Let’s keep it going. As I said last year, best team in the world.” That was the whole theme in one line. Last year on this field. This year on this field. Same team at the top. Same city celebrating.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper celebration without hearing from Shohei Ohtani, who authored two all-time great performances in Game 4 of the NLCS and Game 3 of the World Series, Speaking in English, Ohtani said, “I’m so proud of this team. And then I want to say, you guys are the greatest fans in the world. And then I’m ready. I’m ready to get another ring next year.”

Finally, it was time to hear from the GOAT. Lefthander Clayton Kershaw stepped up to the mic. Wearing a sleeveless championship T-shirt and surrounded by his family, Kersh got a little emotional. “Oh man, he started, “I told Freddy I’m going to try not to cry today. But I don’t know if that’s going to work. I’ll try not to make it weird. Thank you. Thank you for 18 years. Thank you for showing up and watching us play for the last 18 years. Thank you for being here for me and my family and supporting us.”

Then Kershaw turned to his fellow Dodgers, the last group of teammates he’ll ever know. “And thank you for all you guys. Thank you my teammates. You guys are the best in the world. You guys are the best team in the world. And you’ve been the best team in the world for as long as I remember. You know, last year. I said I was a Dodger for life. And today that’s true. And today I get to say that I’m a champion for life. And that’s never going away… I’m so thankful for all of you. And I know they’re going to get one more next year. And I’m going to watch just like all of you.”

And that was the last the fans heard before the music swelled and the familiar sounds of Randy Newman filled the air to send the champs off with memories to last all of them a lifetime.

So the images from Monday tell the story pretty clearly: Ice Cube delivering the trophy in a Dodger blue convertible, players calling the fan base the best in baseball, Rojas telling 50,000 people “you deserve this,” stars talking openly about a three-peat, and a club that has stopped trying to prove it belongs on that stage. It belongs there. It plans to come back. And it wants someone to print the T-shirt.

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