Among packed streets, airhorns and blue and white confetti, Downtown Los Angeles saw Dodgers fans come together to celebrate the World Series victory on Monday morning. The World Series parade featured double-decker buses carting the Dodgers team down Grand Avenue and into Dodger Stadium.
Metro stations along the E-line saw crowded cars filled with Dodger fans eager to get a front-row view of their favorite players. One of those fans, Shalina Kahnna, was excited to support the team for the second year in a row at this parade.
“These parades and seeing the city come together is incredible so I’m really excited for the energy and the pride it brings to the city,” Kahnna said. “We love our team and we love our city, so we’re really excited. Go Dodgers.”
Game 7 of the World Series ended Saturday, with the Dodgers beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings. Their 4-3 World Series record made them the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back titles, according to Major League Baseball.
Fans at the parade were looking forward to spotting their favorite players, including pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani and pitcher Clayton Kershaw on his farewell tour. Players delivered speeches at the post-parade rally, featuring Kershaw’s goodbye address, a thank you speech from Ohtani and a rare chant in English from Yamamoto.
Many USC students made the three-mile commute to the parade route, including Keita Ishibashi, a senior studying business administration. As an international student from Japan, Ishibashi was most proud of Yamamoto, Ohtani and pitcher Rōki Sasaki for representing Japan in the World Series.
“I’m so proud to be Japanese here and I was so happy to see Yamamoto be the winning pitcher of the last game,” Ishibashi said. “It’s my fourth year in the United States and I’ve been loving the city, loving the school, loving the team and loving the sports. I’m so lucky to be here for these four years, and I’m excited for the rest of my time in LA.”
Downtown sidewalks included fans of all ages, as well as vendors selling a variety of food and beverage items. One of the vendors and, Dodger fan himself, Hector Mendez, sold hot dogs along Grand Avenue for $10 while waiting for the parade to start.
“I got here at 4 in the morning and people have been here since 2 in the morning,” Mendez said. “I’m a big Dodgers fan and I knew they were going to have a parade. I do this as a side business and I’m selling them at USC this Friday.”
Fans packed the sidewalks at 11 a.m. for the start of the parade, blasting songs like Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” and 2Pac’s “California Love.” They chanted the “Let’s Go Dodgers” cheer and roared for the players when they rolled down the street in the open-air buses.
Dodger blue and white confetti blasted from the buses as manager Dave Roberts held up the winning trophy. For some, this was their second year watching this parade, but for Dodger fan Jesse James, his first parade was more than they expected.
“Those were the guys that just won the World Series right in front of us like normal people,” James said. “It was more than what I imagined, and I didn’t think I’d feel the way I do. I feel amazing.”
People hung off of street posts, stood atop walls and watched from skyscraper windows. The streets were lined with fans dancing, cheering and laughing, representing the unity of Los Angeles. USC alum Aleah Lomeli reflected on her community and fellow fans.
“It’s so nice to be with all of L.A. and all of the fans while being able to celebrate their win,” Lomeli said. “I’m here with my cousin, my best friend and her boyfriend. I did go to last year’s World Series parade but this one, for sure, is way better than last year’s. I love it.”