What is it like in Los Angeles?! The Dodgers are world champions after beating the Yankees on Wednesday 7-6 in Game 5!

After dropping Game 4 to the Yankees and falling behind in Game 5, Dodgers fans began to think the series was heading back to Los Angeles.

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

Key round of Game 5

The key inning was 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 all up.

How we 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 baseball team.

One of, if not the biggest reason the Dodgers made the playoffs and an eventual World Series win: Shohei Ohtani. Let’s be realistic. When you have the best baseball player on the planet and maybe the greatest baseball player of all time, you’ll 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 lineup, you’re already one step ahead of everyone.

And oh yes, this team also includes Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman (aka Mr. October), Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Kike Hernandez. All of these players distinguished themselves during the regular season and the playoffs.

But the path to the playoffs was by no means easy. The injury bug bit the Dodgers throughout the season, decimating the starting pitching rotation. Can you imagine if Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone were healthy and in the playoff rotation? During the season, Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone have been solid. Together, they have combined for 20 victories on the mound. Kershaw did not play much as he spent the first half of the season on the injured list, recovering from shoulder surgery. He finished with a 2-2 record and found himself on the injured list again after injuring his toe.

Starting to throw was the difference

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

Dodgers Legacy

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

While some non-Dodgers fans have claimed the 2020 title wasn’t legitimate because it occurred during a COVID 19 shortened season – there’s no doubt the Dodgers cleared all the hurdles necessary to win this season’s title. No asterisks are needed here.

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

Want more inheritance? And why not a few firsts? The most significant first: 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 cool first: the first team to have numbers on the front of their uniform in 1952.

This is a legacy, my friends.