Los Angeles lights up with celebrations as Dodgers head to World Series
Los Angeles is celebrating Sunday night after the Dodgers secured their place in the World Series.
With a 10-5 defeat of the Mets in Game 6 of the NLCS, the Boys in Blue are set to go up against the New York Yankees for the top title. It's the first New York vs. Los Angeles World Series since 1981, according to the MLB.
"The best city in the world — LA beats New York all the time. We're the best," one fan said outside Dodger Stadium in Elysian Park, where the stands roared when the team clinched the National League Championship Series title.
Fireworks broke out and tributes to the team appeared at landmarks across the city. The Santa Monica Ferris Wheel and Los Angeles City Hall both lit up in glowing blue lights throughout the evening.
In East LA, fans drove lowriders and waved Dodgers flags during the celebrations as several LAPD patrol cars were parked nearby, with officers monitoring the festivities.
It's the first time Los Angeles is headed to the World Series since 2020, when the Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays to take the title, and the 22nd time in franchise history.
Tommy Edman was named the 2024 NLCS MVP after he drove 11 runs throughout the series, including the Dodgers' first four runs in Game 6. Shohei Ohtani, who made MLB history this year as the first person to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, will be going to the World Series for the first time.
"It's the place that I've dreamt of playing all my life," Ohtani said during his on-field interview after the game, ESPN reported.
Mookie Betts said of the upcoming LA vs. New York matchup: "It's what everybody wants, right?"
Inside the Dodgers clubhouse, Michael Kopech said the team's confidence level is "through the roof" as they prepare to face the Yankees.
"I think I said it a few days ago that we have all the confidence in the world — that we're the best team in the world. But we still got to prove it," Kopech said. "We gotta get four more wins against one of the best teams in the world as well. And it's gonna be a real special series."
LA will host the start of the 2024 World Series with the first game scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25.
