How does LA feel?! The Dodgers are World Champions after defeating the Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 on Wednesday!

After dropping Game 4 to the Yankees and falling behind in Game 5, Dodger fans began to believe the series was headed back to LA

But instead…the Dodgers became the “Comeback Kids.” In fact, they had to do it twice. The inning they took the lead — the eighth inning when a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts brought home Tommy Edman and the Dodgers went up 7-6 and never looked back. Strong late inning pitching by Blake Treinen and Walker Buehler sealed the deal and the Boys in Blue became World Champions!

Key half of Game 5

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman celebrates winning the World Series against the New York Yankees.

The key inning came in the fifth when the Dodgers took advantage of two Yankees errors and scored five runs behind a Mookie Betts single, a Freddie Freeman single and a Teoscar Hernandez double to tie it up.

How I got here

After 162 games, with hard-fought victories over the Padres and Mets in the National League Division Series and National League Championship Series, respectively, the Dodgers have left no doubt that they are the best team in baseball.

One of the big reasons, if not the biggest reason, the Dodgers made the playoffs and an eventual World Series win: Shohei Ohtani. Let’s face it. When you have the best baseball player on the planet and maybe the greatest baseball player of all time, you’re going to be in the conversation no matter what. His magical season of 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases sparked the Dodgers offense and led to numerous victories.

When you have Shohei in your roster, you’re already steps ahead of everyone else.

And oh yeah — this team also has Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman (aka Mr. October), Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Kike Hernandez. All of these players came up big in the regular season and playoffs.

But the road to the playoffs was by no means easy. Injury trouble has bitten the Dodgers throughout the season, decimating the starting pitching rotation. Can you imagine if Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone were healthy and part of the playoff rotation? During the season, Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone were solid. Together, they combined for 20 wins on the mound. Kershaw didn’t play much as he spent the first half of the season on the disabled list recovering from shoulder surgery. He finished 2-2 and ended up on the injured list again after injuring his toe.

The starting pitching was the difference

But the Dodgers turned what was seen as a weakness into a strength. Their starting pitching in the playoffs has been stellar. Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler were dominant, shutting down the Yankees offense. Aaron Judge simply struggled for the Yankees. Strong pitching in the playoffs and especially in the World Series is key. Without it, you simply cannot win.

The Dodger Legacy

This is the Dodgers’ eighth World Series championship – after winning titles in 2024, 2020, 1988, 1981, 1965, 1963, 1959 and 1955. They are now tied for fifth on the all-time World Series list with San Francisco Giants. . The Dodgers have appeared in 21 World Series, 12 of them since moving to Los Angeles in 1958.

While some non-Dodgers fans argued that the 2020 title wasn’t legitimate because it happened during a season shortened by COVID-19 — there’s no question the Dodgers jumped through all the hoops necessary to win title this season. No asterisks needed here.

The Dodgers have won 25 National League pennants – 13 in Los Angeles and 12 in Brooklyn. Do you want inheritance? Try this: The Dodgers are currently on a streak dating back to 2013 in which the Boys in Blue have won two World Series titles, four National League pennants, made 12 postseason appearances and won 11 National League titles from the West.

Want more legacy? How about a number of prizes? First Big One – Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 by becoming the first black player in the modern era of Major League Baseball. The Dodgers were the first West Coast team to win the World Series in 1959. And, a great first – the first team to have numbers on the front of their uniforms in 1952.

That’s heritage, my friends.