Downtown Los Angeles was transformed into a sea of Dodger blue and white Monday, as thousands of fans from across Southern California filled the streets to get a glimpse of the back-to-back World Series champs.
Crowds at Metro stations and around downtown broke out into spontaneous “Go Dodgers” cheers and chants as fans awaited the team’s celebratory parade and rally at Dodger Stadium. Loudspeakers blasted Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube, Nate Dogg and, of course, Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”
Fans lined staircases, scaled streetlights and crammed onto balconies along Grand Avenue, in hopes of a better view of the dynasty-making team that secured baseball’s most coveted title in an unbelievable Game 7 finisher. Some said they arrived before sunrise to secure prime spots. Parents joked about cases of the “Dodger flu” allowing their school-aged children to join in the historic day.
“Back-to-back, baby!” a teenager shouted over the chorus of vuvuzelas.
As the team’s open-air, double-decker buses hit Temple Street, fans broke out almost in hysterics, shouting their favorite players’ names and raising their fists in the air.
From one of the buses, pitcher Blake Snell pointed at the crowd while an armada of buzzing aerial drones dodged blasts from confetti cannons. A “Freddie! Freddie!” chant broke out when fans spotted the Dodgers’ first baseman, renowned for his World Series heroics.
Further down the route, Jane Lee held up a sign for pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who cemented his World Series MVP status in Game 7 when he took the mound to record the final eight outs after starting Game 6. On top of winning MVP of the series, Lee designated him “best pitcher” on her homemade sign, which ended with a word written in Japanese.
“Arigato!” the Monterey Park resident translated. Others echoed her shout, and it soon became a raucous chorus of gleeful thank yous for the Japan native — fully embraced by the city of Angeles.
Ken Suzuki, a college student from Japan, brought similar energy to 2nd Street, where he waved a Japanese flag.
“I’ve followed Yamamoto since he played in Japan. It’s so wild to see him dominate on such a big stage,” Suzuki said.
The parade kicked off at 11 a.m. By noon, the team officially arrived at the stadium, welcomed by even more fans holding banners and sporting Dodger blue.
In knee-high Dodgers socks at the intersection of Hope and 7th streets, Mark Krojansky waxed poetic over the fact that his kids had already experienced three Dodger championships. He’d had to wait three decades between the 1988 win and 2020 — but said it was well worth it.
“This could be the only time for many, many years, you never know,” Krojansky said. “We deserve it.”
The 2025 Dodgers team has been a bright spot during an otherwise tumultuous year for the region, after historic firestorms devastated thousands of homes in January and then widespread immigration sweeps were carried out over the summer by the Trump administration.
But much of Los Angeles was ready to celebrate Monday, two days after the Dodgers took a late lead to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in an epic Game 7.
Chuck Berez, a decades-long Dodgers fan from L.A., was walking toward the parade route Monday morning and said the love from the organization and its fans embodied the city itself.
“They stick together. … You got to weather the storm and look at the big picture,” Berez said. “The way they came through in the clutch, you know, just showing you their resilience and their experience.”
Los Angeles transplant Aaron Wole, a hospital worker originally from Florida, felt that spirit these last few weeks. Despite being a lifelong Rays fan, he donned an Ohtani jersey Monday morning at the parade.
“When in Rome, you got to do as the Romans.… This doesn’t happen much in Florida,” Wole said. “In moments like these, you feel included in the community. It really feels like a great atmosphere with all these fans.”
