Dodgers win World Series! LA takes to the streets with fireworks and joy

Excited fans took to the streets of Los Angeles Wednesday night in an explosion of joy after the Dodgers won the franchise's eighth World Series title.

They became the first Major League Baseball team to win a deciding World Series game when trailing by five runs, beating the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5.

Fans flooded the streets near LA Live in downtown Los Angeles and on Whittier Boulevard in East LA, dancing, setting off fireworks and chanting. Neighbors banged pots and pans on their porches as a chorus of fireworks, cheers and sirens rang out across Highland Park. And in tiny Tokyo, fans gathered near the Shohei Ohtani mural to celebrate the beloved player, who this season became the first in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases.

The sheer fireworks display across the city rivaled the Fourth of July, while Los Angeles City Hall and the “D” on the Hollywood sign were lit up in Dodger blue to celebrate the victory.

A flag-waving fan stands in the open sunroof of a car as the vehicle drives down Whittier Boulevard.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Authorities had closed some streets in East L.A. and downtown in hopes of preventing some of the more intense celebrations that marked the Dodgers' victory in 2020.

However, the fan's energy could not be contained.

The fireworks began to explode in East Los Angeles as Walker Buehler defeated Alex Verdugo to win the series. People streamed out of their homes and made their way to Whittier Boulevard, the Eastside's historic corridor.

In their locker room at Yankee Stadium, Dodgers players pop the champagne to celebrate the franchise's eighth World Series title.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

“This is so unbelievable!” shouted Jessica Gutierrez, 33, of Boyle Heights. “We've waited so long for this and you just have to be with all you Dodger fans.”

The LA Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol had blocked off the intersection of Whittier and Atlantic boulevards to prevent passage, but to no avail – the cars merely made a U-turn on Hillview Avenue.

Near Hoefner Avenue in front of the Commerce Center, fans stood in the middle of Whittier Boulevard to record the passing parade. Even though it was too crowded to do full spin-outs, the cars' tires still spun and burned the rubber to the cheers of the crowd.

“Oh my God, that was the craziest game I've ever seen,” one fan told KCAL News at a watch party in downtown LA. “We are back at the top after 2020 and are finally getting our parade!”

The Dodgers parade takes place Friday and is the first in 36 years after hopes of a community celebration in 2020 were dashed by COVID-19.

“Tonight we showed the world that Los Angeles is made of CHAMPIONS,” LA Mayor Karen Bass wrote in a statement on X. “Congratulations to the Dodgers on today's win.” I look forward to seeing you again in LA!”

After falling behind 5-0 through the first four innings of the game at Yankee Stadium, the team staged an impressive five-run comeback in the fifth inning.

“It was nerve-wracking! I was so nervous, but we kept our faith and luckily everything went our way,” one fan told KCAL News at a watch party in Pasadena. “I’m just happy and excited that we won.”

Happy fans gather at Tom's Watch Bar at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday evening.

(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)

The Yankees scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning on home runs by Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm. With single runs in the second and third innings, they extended the lead to 5-0. The Dodgers evened the score with a fifth inning, helped by two errors by the Yankees.

After the Yankees regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning.

City News Service contributed to this article