The Los Angeles Dodgers will finally get their victory parade.
The Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night to clinch the franchise’s eighth championship. That gave them the 4-1 series win and handed the Dodgers their first championship since 2020.
While they weren’t allowed to hold a victory parade after that title, which came amid the COVID-19 pandemic, plans are already in place to celebrate this week.
“Our guys are very ready, very hungry for a parade,” manager Dave Roberts said after they won Game 3, via NBC4, which gave them a 3-0 series lead. “So nothing is going to get in the way of that, nothing.”
And once he realized he was getting one after all, Roberts was hyped.
When is the Dodgers’ championship parade?
The Dodgers will host their championship parade on Friday morning, starting at 11 at Gloria Molina Grand Park in front of City Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
Once Mayor Karen Bass kicks off the parade, the Dodgers will then ride through downtown atop double-decker buses for about 45 minutes. Fans are encouraged to take public transportation downtown.
Then, starting around 12:15 p.m., the team will host a special ticketed event celebration at Dodger Stadium. The stadium gates will open at 9 a.m. on Friday, and fans will be able to watch parade festivities on scoreboards and screens throughout the venue before the celebration makes it up the hill. As the Dodgers noted in their announcement, it won’t be possible for fans to attend both events.
Friday’s event will mark the first victory parade for the Dodgers since 1988. They beat the Oakland A’s 4-1 in the World Series that fall. The Dodgers then beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 in the World Series in 2020, a title that was clinched in Arlington, Texas.
The Dodgers, after winning three straight to open the series, rallied out of a 5-0 hole on Wednesday to claim a 7-6 win over the Yankees in Game 5 and secure their championship at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It marked the largest comeback in a World Series-clinching game in MLB history. Freddie Freeman was named World Series MVP after he hit a home run in four straight games and finished with a record 12 RBI over the five games.