By Aaliyah Medawar
Nothing beats the sound of a bat cracking against a fastball. The roar of the crowd, the smell of concessions, and the sight of those boys in blue have been gracing Dodger Stadium since 1962.
This year, our players have made headlines time and time again. Whether it be the introduction of Shohei Ohtani to the roster, the team’s phenomenal performance during the playoffs, or the amount of wins they have accumulated in total, the Dodgers have worked hard to make 2024 their year. Ohtani even managed to make baseball history this season. Not only did he found the 50-50 club, a term referring to a player who makes 50 runs and steals 50 bases, but he went the extra mile and did one more of each, and only continued to rack up his stats as the year progressed. Now, as the post-season comes to a close, Ohtani sits at a whopping 54-59, earning him admiration from both players and fans alike.
Sadly however, we have also had to say goodbye to one of the most quintessential Dodger players. Fernando Valenzuela, better known as El Toro, was one of the best-hitting pitchers of the 80s with his signature left-handed windup and sensational stats that would plunge the baseball world into Fernandomania. But his popularity was not without foundation. El Toro won both the National League Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, and he is still the only player to ever have accomplished both.
But this man was more than simply his skills in baseball. From his humble beginnings as the youngest of twelve in Mexico, Fernando Valenzuela’s success in the sport became a cultural pillar, especially for the Latino community. His performance, among others like Roberto Clemente and Manny Mota, who while official Dodgers were a potential player and a coach respectively, inspired so much pride in the team that the Latino community, according to one Gustavo Arelleno of Remezcla, a Latin American media company, turned the term “Los Doyers” into “the greatest reappropriation stories in American sports: how Latinos learned to love a team that literally built their foundation on the bulldozed homes and dreams of Mexican-American families, and took a term originally used to deride Latinos and made it their own.”
Originally intended as a racist epithet, coupled with the fact that “in the late 1950s, Los Angeles officials pushed out nearly 2,000 families from the Chavez Ravine barrio so that owner Walter O’Malley could build a stadium there,” Los Doyers became a source of pride in the face of mocking accents and assimilation. Not only did Fernando Valenzuela bring in new fans to the sport, but his abilities allowed him to make a name for himself as a powerhouse pitcher and one of the best Mexican-American players in the league.
His passing was two days before the 43rd anniversary of a major landmark in his career, the 147-pitch complete game that brought the Dodgers to victory in Game 3 of the 1981 World Series against the Yankees. This year, the Dodgers had a chance to make history once again, for the Yankees are none other than the opposing team they faced, a series of seven games that mark Shohei Ohtani’s World Series debut and the 22nd time the Dodgers will go to the championships! But above all, it was a chance for the Dodgers to play in the memory of one of the greats, a man who changed baseball history as we know it.
But the road to the big leagues was no easy path. Though Shohei Ohtani often stole the show, each player, be they Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández, or otherwise, worked hard to get this team to the finals. In game three against the Mets, the team won 8-0 and managed to score 10 runs over the Mets’ 5 in the final. In six games against the Queensian players, they won 40-26. But that’s not all, as they are leading 7-5 against the Padres in the postseason play. However, it was not without struggle, as the Padres put up a good fight this year against the lads of Los Angeles. Still, that did not stop the Dodgers from winning overall.
This year the Dodgers also ranked number one in their division, superseding titans of the game like the Diamondbacks, the Padres, and the Giants. All of this success is in light of the myriad of injuries the Dodgers team sustained as well. Even with Freddie Freeman’s ankle, Gavin Lux’s hip, Clayton Kershaw’s toe, Tyler Glasnow’s elbow, and the sheer amount of other players on the injury list, the Dodgers still managed to fight for the Holy Grail of baseball.
Even so, the Yankees have been playing well, and they too hold the position of number one in the East division. With 94 total wins this year, this band of New York blood was a titan for our boys to overcome. As East met West at Dodger Stadium, fans remembered the history of their team and celebrated the greatest yet to come. Before this age, when men like Max Muncy and Kike Hernández marched onto the pitch, there was a team that was forged in perseverance.
In 1883 the Brooklyn Atlantics took the name of a defunct team and played some ball. From there they joined the National League, and eventually moved to Ebbets Field in 1913. For a while, they played as
such, with their name varying between the Bridegrooms, Robins, Superbas, and Trolley Dodgers, throughout the ages. But it was not until the 1930s that they came into their own. With the Depression looming and the country plunged into uncertainty, this team emerged as the unstoppable Dodgers, setting forth a chain of events that would reinvigorate the nation. Baseball became a source of joy during an era of misery, and the Dodgers helped to make that fighting spirit worth watching.
And worth watching it has been. In game one, Freddie Freeman did what no player had ever done before in almost 180 years of baseball. With a hurt ankle and the pressure that comes with being at the bottom of the 10th inning looming overhead, Freeman hit a grand slam walk-off, the first ever in World Series history, and brought the Dodgers from 2 points to 6 in a matter of seconds. To many fans it echoed Kirk Gibson’s famous 1988 World Series home run. While suffering through injuries in both legs, Gibson was called to pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs against the team and the Oakland A’s set to win, he hit a two-run, walk-off home run and let the Dodgers win 5 to 4. Gibson’s winning home run is often referred to as the greatest moment in “L.A. sports history,” and in an act of divine irony, both his and Freddie’s were hit at 8:37 pm- 36 years apart. Riding the high of such a historic achievement, Freeman’s performance continues to be exceptional, and there can be no doubt that a spot in the Hall of Fame soon awaits him.
The second game fared quite well, with the Dodgers winning 4 to 2 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking down 11 consecutive batters, allowing just one hit while striking out four during the game and walking two others after the fact all in the span of six innings. In total, he threw 54 strikes on 86 pitches and allowed the Dodgers to have a two-game lead over the Yankees thus far. Sadly, however, his moment of glory was somewhat outshined by an injury sustained by Shohei Ohtani. While attempting to steal a base in the seventh inning, the former LA Angel was not only picked off by the Yankees, but also took an awkward landing as he slid onto the plate, resulting in a shoulder subluxation, also known as a partial dislocation. However, that did not stop him from playing in Game 3.
As his range of motion and strength tests post-injury were not greatly concerning to medical professionals on site, Shohei was cleared to play and did quite well during the Dodgers’ first game in New York. Still, the silence that fell over the stadium spoke for itself, however, as fans witnessed an event few dared to imagine.
But that quiet quickly turned to cheers the following day, as the Dodgers took home a 4-2 victory over the Yankees, giving them a three-game lead in a series that requires a best of seven. Many fans are thanking one Walker Buehler for such a victory. With his pitching prowess on full display and legendary performance echoing “The Walker Buehler Of Old,” this all-star’s return to glory has fans craving more than the scoreless outing that graced the pitch. His efforts, combined with a throw from Teoscar Hernández that took out a Yankee attempting to score, stirred fans into a frenzy of hopeful excitement, as the Dodgers have not had a clean sweep World Series victory since 1963.
Sadly however, we lost the chance to break that drought in Game 4, as the Yankees won 11-4 due to a decisive grand slam from shortstop Anthony Volpe. But that was not the only chaos of the evening. Along with a hard loss, the Dodgers also had to face a Yankees fan who, after the player’s jump landed him close to the stands, seized Mookie Betts’ glove in an attempt to take the ball. That fan, along with his companion, were ejected from the game, and then subsequently banned from attending Game 5. Thankfully, fan interference and a blow to the ego did not stop the Dodgers from making the ultimate comeback. Game 5 spelled victory for the Dodgers, who took home a 7-6 victory in New York. surviving the skilled pitching of Gerrit Cole and rising from 0-5 to an even tie in the span of a few innings.
To break that tie, the Dodgers worked hard, sacrificing several players and taking advantage of any misplays the Yankees made. With the combined pitching efforts of Blake Treinen and Walker Buehler, as well as the coaching of Dave Roberts, the men on the field were unstoppable. After hours of battle, dem bums closed the game, sending shouts of victory across the field as the realization thy had won washed over them.
To close the night, Dave Roberts regaled the stadium with a heartfelt speech, and Freddie Freeman deservedly won the title of MVP, most valuable player, for his performance both in and out of the World Series. With a celebration of beer and champagne, as well as an announcement of the Dodgers finally getting the victory parade they have not had since 1988, fans and players alike were alive with jubilation!
Though they began on the East Coast, the Dodgers made California our own as they brought forward a legacy of magnificent players. Be it the
great Sandy Koufax or the revolutionary Jackie Robinson, the Dodgers have a spirit that keeps fans wanting more. For generations, this team has worked hard to make a name for themselves in baseball, and if the past six months and 162 games have shown anything, they will continue to do so long into the future. With their diplomacy, determination, and desire to succeed, the Dodgers have survived screwballs and world wars alike, and if the soul of the game has taught us viewers anything, it is that baseball can bring anybody together.
With the history that the Dodgers have upon their shoulders this year, be it the memory of the great Fernando Valenzuela or the overall tenacity of such a sensational set of ballplayers, there can be no denying that the game to end all games will be an experience worth remembering. And as the Dodgers finally get that parade that they have been waiting for since 2020, be sure to take the time to reflect on all that had brought them there in the first place.
In the words of the immortal Vin Scully, it’s time for Dodger baseball!
Comments