The Dodgers' World Series Win from the Perspective of a Diehard Fan

Despite the Quizmaster featuring a fair amount of baseball quizzes on JetPunk, I don't think the baseball community here is large. So although I've put effort into writing this blog, it will be pretty niche. Nevertheless, since the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series very recently, I'd like to write about what this team meant to me and the joy that their victory brought into my life.

I'm from New England, but the Dodgers have always occupied a special place in my heart. I know to non-sports fans this might sound very weird, and that normal people only use this term for significant others and parents. But entire family is from Los Angeles, and being raised as a Dodgers fan has allowed me to keep a connection to my roots and stand out in a uniformly Red Sox obsessed town.

My first Dodger game is still perhaps my single most vivid memory. July 28, 2013. A hot, crisp Southern California day, made for baseball. I drove straight from Los Angeles International Airport with my dad and grandfather, having touched down just in time to speed to Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers were at a losing record at that point in the 2013 season, but were starting to gain momentum. Yasiel Puig, the hotshot rookie from Cuba known for his dramatic flair and cannon arm, had just broken Joe DiMaggio's record for the most hits by a rookie in his debut month, and so naturally he was my favorite player. The game was a pitcher's duel, with the Dodgers striking out 20 times, which was then a franchise record (this is all from memory, so I may be off by one or two). Through the ninth, there was no score. My dad thought I would be getting bored; he asked if I wanted to go home. I refused. Through the tenth, there was no score. My dad repeated the question. I didn't budge. Then, in the bottom of the eleventh, Puig swatted a pitch from the Reds' reliever into the left field bleachers, and the crowd went crazy. It was probably the loudest noise nine-year old me had ever heard in my life. That moment was pure bliss.

Since then, I've been to around ten Dodgers games and two stadium tours. I've seen the Dodgers play in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. They usually win when I'm watching, and I've gained a lifetime of stories and memories in watching them play. I'll list off a few before I move on past my personal story. I've seen Noah Syndergaard get ejected for throwing behind Chase Utley, and then seen Utley proceed to hit a grand slam and a solo home run off the Mets' relievers. I've seen a 16 inning game in which the Dodgers brought in a position player, Kike Hernandez, to pitch. I've sung Happy Birthday to Cody Bellinger with other fans, and then had him turn around and wave to us. I've had a game ball graze my arm, but failed to catch it. I've gobbled Cool-A-Coos and Dodger Dogs. I've seen two fistfights in the stands, and plenty of beach balls bouncing around the crowd in evasion of stadium security.

My view from the Dodgers' Dugout on a Stadium Tour, 2019.

The 16th inning in Philadelphia, with Kike Hernandez pitching. 2018.

The whole time I've been a diehard Dodgers fan, they've been good, which I'm thankful for. They've won the NL West every year since 2014, and made the World Series in 2017 and 2018. But they could never finish the job. To be fair, the Astros did cheat for the title in 2017, and the Dodgers probably could have won if the Astros played by the rules. But still, a what-if title is not a legitimate one. There seemed to be a missing piece every year. Midseason pickups like Yu Darvish and Manny Machado didn't help pick up the title. Clayton Kershaw had a postseason ERA that was enormous compared to his regular season career ERA, which was well under 3.00. The older generation from the first teams that I grew up watching, such as Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Adrian Gonzalez, retired without winning. My dad grew restless. The last time the Dodgers had won a title was in 1988, when HE was 16 (my current age, coincidentally). I didn't know the pain of watching thirty plus years of failure, but I also didn't know the giddy feeling of being champions of the MLB.

This MLB season, 2020, was a strange one for sure, and I have no doubt that there are haters on social media claiming the Dodgers' title was not legitimate. Actually, I know for a fact people think like that, because that's what my Red Sox fan friends tell me every day. The season was 60 games, there were no fans in attendance until playoffs, all of which made it very different than normal MLB circumstances. But I stand by my opinion, which is this. Every team was given a fair and legitimate chance to compete, and all had an opportunity to walk away with the Commissioner's Trophy. And this was the Dodgers' year, no doubt. Mookie Betts meshed with our roster very well, and I love him as a player. He hustles, gets on base, fields amazingly, and runs his butt off. Clayton Kershaw returned to vintage form this year. Julio Urias emerged as a strong arm in the postseason, and it all came together for the first time in 32 years. The path looked dark at one point as the Dodgers were down 3-1 against the Braves in the NLCS, but the team had the heart and confidence to grind through the deficit.

This year's championship has certainly brightened up my 2020, and that's what inspired me to finally write a blog on this website that has also made my 2020 much better. I very nearly cried when Urias put that final strike three on the inside corner, and I couldn't sleep until 3AM that night, with my night spent watching highlights, stalking players' Instagram accounts, and listening to "We Are The Champions" on repeat. My Dodgers obsession is a family affair, and I'm so very glad my parents and brother were by my side to watch the victory. If you've read this entire blog, thank you so much. And if anyone else here is a baseball addict, feel free to comment and get in touch, because I need more baseball friends. I hope everyone has a great night, and go Dodgers!