The long-anticipated celebration was at last held over the weekend, as the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their fifth consecutive National League West title with a win against the San Francisco Giants.
It provided a brief break from what has been a rocky month of September that saw the Dodgers drop 11 games in a row, which is the longest losing streak in the Majors this season. A disappointing road trip delayed the Dodgers’ celebration so that it not only occurred at Dodger Stadium, but also on Tommy Lasorda’s 90th birthday.
The Hall of Fame manager is the last to lead the team to a World Series. By failing to reach the Fall Classic since 1988, Los Angeles owns the sixth-longest drought.
Lasorda’s birthday was recognized during a pregame ceremony and he briefly joined the team in the clubhouse as champagne bottles were popped and beers opened.
With one accomplishment checked off, Lasorda is confident the Dodgers are going to win the World Series this fall, via ESPN’s Arash Markazi:
Now we have to prepare ourselves for the next step. I think we’re going to win it. There’s no doubt in my mind, but I hope that they cooperate with my prediction.
“I’m just so happy for them. They’re a good team and they play hard and they deserve all the accolades that are being bestowed upon them. It was extra special that they did it against the Giants. I’ve never liked the Giants.”
For all that’s gone wrong for the Dodgers of late, they produced the first 43-7 stretch since the 1912 New York Giants, and that was the core of a remarkable 50-10 run.
Whereas Lasorda’s World Series with the Dodgers in 1988 came as an underdog against the Oakland Athletics, this year’s team has been considered among the favorites.
