By Lucas Camacho
Photos by Judy Shields (The Hollywood Times)
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 11/03/2025
As we watched the Dodgers parade through downtown Los Angeles last year after they defeated the New York Yankees, we as Dodger fans never wanted it to end. The feeling was mutual. Dodger players like Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman returned during the offseason because they wanted to do it again. Other players like Blake Snell chose to join the Dodgers because THEY wanted to win and have a parade, too!
Flashforward to November 3, 2025, we all got what we wanted. The Dodgers managed to repeat as World Series champions, and the city of Los Angeles got another parade. Several players commented how the parade felt even bigger this year. Early estimates report over 200,000 fans watched for the parade. Shohei Ohtani joined the Dodgers before the 2024 season and now has two titles in his two years with the team. When asked if it was starting to feel normal, Ohtani commented that he was already thinking of the Dodgers and LA doing it again NEXT year! (Note: quite a few of the players already said they want to do this again next year…)
Tyler Glasnow commented that he felt this year’s parade was sweeter, not just because of the crowd size, but because he was able to contribute. Last year, Glasnow’s season was cut short, but this time he was an important part of the rotation through the postseason. Glasnow’s journey back to the mound this year perfectly represents the hard work and dedication that lies at the heart of the city of Los Angeles.
Photos taken of the players on those double decker buses at the end of the parade:
For the new players, the parade was more amazing than they imagined. Snell said this was “lit as #@%&” (yes, I censored him). The players from last year’s team and the new players all seemed to agree that the turnout was insane and overwhelming. It really says something to the enthusiasm and loyalty of the Dodger fans. It also speaks to the optimism they possess. After all, the odds did not look to be in the Dodgers’ favor after losing Game 4 and 5 at home.
A couple of players also commented as to the storyline of the season in terms of location. After all, the Dodgers started the season with the Tokyo series against the Chicago Cubs. It ended in Canada when they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays. It certainly was a remarkable journey this year for the boys in blue, especially considering the amount of pit falls in the regular season, and the number of times they could have lost in Game 6 and 7 against the Blue Jays.
Short video of the parade:
Photos taken on Figueroa Street between 6th & 5th before the parade, by The Hollywood Times writer Judy Shields walking to work, some photos from the 40th floor of the City National Bank Tower. Enjoy:
After the parade (and all the beer that was probably consumed), the party moved back to the greatest ballpark in America: Dodger Stadium. The rally at the stadium looked like the biggest party of the year outside of Christmas time at Disneyland. The sounds of excitement coming from the stadium could probably be heard all the way to Ontario (the home of their new minor league team, the Tower Buzzers). It certainly had the feel of a NASCAR racer entering victory lane with all the pomp and circumstance (but without the milk bath).
Before the rally, though, the players were able to get something to eat, and, most importantly, use the bathroom. (Speaking as someone that’s done a lot of traveling, that’s a must.) The sold-out crowd at Dodger Stadium were pumped up by star Anthony Anderson before the players walked down the blue carpet before the Dodger faithful to the sound of, just like last year, “They Not Like Us.” They were introduced by commentator Joe Davis before Dave Roberts came on the stage. The trophy for the 2025 World Series was then brought out by Ice Cube in a really nice blue Chevy classic car and placed next to last year’s trophy.
After hearing from Dodger ownership and from Dave Roberts, it was time to hear from the team. They appropriately started with one of the heroes of Game 7: Miguel Rojas. A couple of key defensive plays and a game-tying home run definitely put Rojas in the history books of Dodgers lore. Rojas though made it about his whole team and their key contributions, including the birthday boy, rookie pitcher Roki Sasaki. Next was the World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who spoke pretty good English and even started with a good “Buenos Tardes!”
Next up was one of the leaders of the clubhouse, Mookie Betts. Mookie is now a four-time World Series champion, and he said he still wanted to fill up one hand with rings. After that was the other leader of the clubhouse, Freddie Freeman, who hit yet another walk-off home run in the World Series (he had a walk-off grand slam last year against the Yankees, and had another this year during the 18-inning marathon Game 3).
Kike Hernandez provided his signature energy as he came up to the microphone. Fortunately, Kike censored himself (for the most part) as he declared the Dodgers had a “mother f’ing dynasty.” Blake Snell came up saying he wanted to get used to this energy. Max Muncy kept his speech short so the crowd could hear from the other superstar on the team: Shohei Ohtani. The leading candidate for the NL MVP award spoke with good English for the excited fans.
Then came the moment fans wanted: the last chance to hear from the legendary ace Clayton Kershaw. He did his best to hold back tears as he thanked the fans for his 18-year career and remarked that he will now be a Dodger for life. He thanked everyone including his family for everything, and he was looking forward to watching his old team win another championship next year. It was a fitting end to his Hall of Fame career.
It was a great rally, a great parade, and of course they ended it with the familiar song “I Love LA.” As hard as it is to imagine, it felt like a bigger celebration than last year. Everyone kept pumping up the crowd saying that they wanted the Dodgers to do it again next year. This is a gritty Dodgers team and given how most will be back next year…they just might do it.
