The sound of Walker Buehler's 77.4-mile-per-hour knuckle curveball whizzing by Yankee outfielder Alex Verdugo's bat and the audible punch of it landing against Will Smith's catcher's mitt set off a bomb of excitement across the hearts of millions of Angelenos in the city and beyond.
On Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, 1st Street in Boyle Heights, and Figueroa Street in Highland Park, tens of thousands of fans took to the streets to celebrate a win that has been 36 years in the making. The Dodgers also won the World Series in 2020, but that shortened season prompted a lot of skepticism from haters. There was a sense of elation and catharsis in the air, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned in his post-game interview, "I'm sure there's no asterisk on this one."
The celebration wasn't without vandalism, though. On Sunset Boulevard, fans chanting "Fuck New York" lit a Metro bus on fire. There were reports of 12 arrests by LAPD around the city. LAPD also closed off streets, including the 6th Street viaduct, to prevent fans from celebrating there. Most celebrations concluded by 1 AM.
All eyes will be on the celebration parade tomorrow in downtown Los Angeles.
Photos by Erwin Recinos for L.A. TACO.
Photos by Lexis-Olivier Ray for L.A. TACO
Photos by Memo Torres for L.A. TACO
