The Dodgers marched in from middle area on a blue carpet. The Commissioner’s Trophy cruised in from the parking zone in an icy blue convertible.
The championship flag was raised by the homeowners. The championship signal was unveiled by two fireplace division officers.
The pregame festivities earlier than the Dodgers’ residence opener at Chavez Ravine was rolling alongside properly Thursday when all of a sudden, appropriately, in its remaining moments, candy grew to become spectacular.
The ceremony completed with a homer from the blokes who hit the homers.
Gibby truly met Freddie.
Moments after Freddie Freeman and his household had been honored for his Sport 1-winning grand slam in final 12 months’s World Sequence, out of the Dodgers dugout popped Kirk Gibson, the Sport 1 homer-hitting hero of 1988.
Gibson walked to the mound. Freeman walked behind residence plate. Gibson tossed him a pitch. They hugged. The gang roared in shock and appreciation. Goose bumps in every single place.
As Dodgers fan Ice Dice, who drove the convertible, as soon as famously mentioned, “Today was a good day.”
For these questioning what the defending champions presumably can do for an encore, they started to reply that query Thursday on a wonderfully choreographed return to city in entrance of a sold-out crowd that screamed prefer it nonetheless was guzzling final October’s champagne.
On the sector, their shirts and caps adorned in gold lettering honoring their championship, the Dodgers remained untarnished with a 5-4 comeback win over the Detroit Tigers. Identical to so many instances final season, massive hits powered the victory. And identical to so many instances, they got here from Teoscar Hernández and Shohei Ohtani, who homered within the fifth and seventh innings, respectively, to assist the Dodgers beat defending American League Cy Younger Award winner Tarik Skubal.
Three video games, three wins, and it’s a must to ask … 162-0, anybody?
Off the sector, the group classily honored their current with a bow to their previous, bringing Gibson again for a uncommon look that reminded their enduring fan base why they hold coming again opener after opener.
“I thought the ceremony was fantastic… we nailed it,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned.
The Dodgers’ 2024 World Sequence signal is unveiled at Dodger Stadium earlier than the beginning of the 2025 residence opener Thursday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Instances)
It was notably particular for followers similar to 92-year-old Phil Brooks, the retired doctor attending his sixtieth consecutive residence opener, greater than half a century experiencing rebirth from the sector degree.
Brooks was sporting a light, 20-year-old Dodgers jacket however his ardour was undimmed.
“I just love the home opener,” he mentioned. “It’s a renewal, when all hopes are possible.”
Like many Dodgers followers, this can be a custom Brooks has handed on to his household, as he was accompanied for the fortieth consecutive opener by his son, Stan. Throughout the remainder of the season Stan brings his three sons to the video games, prepping them for the time when they may take their destined spot within the residence opener seats.
“I’ve loved sharing this day,” Phil mentioned. “Every year is the beginning of new hopes and dreams.”
Dodger Stadium was crammed with each for a workforce that had swept its first two video games in opposition to the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. Whereas these video games counted within the standings, they actually didn’t depend within the soul, which was newly refreshed in a house opener that featured stars acquainted and new.
Tommy Edman, the hero of final fall’s Nationwide League Championship Sequence, blasted a second-inning homer.
Hernández, whom the Dodgers well retained as a free agent this winter, hit a three-run homer within the fifth inning after an Andy Pages single and a Mookie Betts stroll.
Ohtani, whose bat understands massive moments higher than any in baseball, clinched the win with a solo blast within the seventh.
“It was amazing,” Hernández mentioned. “It was a great feeling to be back at Dodger Stadium.”
Then there have been the brand new youngsters, beginning with Blake Snell, the two-time Cy Younger-winning starter who signed a five-year, $182-million contract within the offseason. He was irritating however environment friendly, strolling 4 and loading the bases twice however yielding simply two runs in 5 innings for the win. Snell finally was adopted by a shaky one-run inning from new reliever Tanner Scott, who was within the dugout when final season’s World Sequence-clinching hero, Blake Treinen, completed it.
“I’ve got a lot to learn… a lot to improve on,” Snell mentioned.
Irrespective of who was starring, each good Dodgers play was greeted with a roar that rang of familiarity. That is how Dodger Stadium sounded final 12 months. This is the reason the Dodgers have such a robust home-field benefit.
“The fans, just feeling the energy and how much the fans love the team… while I was getting ready I could feel how encouraging they were before the start, how much they showed love to me, that was pretty cool,” Snell mentioned. “Then you go out there and you want to do everything you can to win.”
These followers deserved yet another likelihood to have fun the title. This opening weekend collection, which encompasses a Friday ring ceremony, provides them that likelihood.
Dodgers fan George Serrano, middle, cheers as F-35s and F-15s fly over Dodger Stadium earlier than the house opener Thursday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Instances)
“I’m telling you, I just think that our fan base has waited a long time for this kind of culmination,” Roberts mentioned. “It was a huge offseason for the organization, for the club, and then you kind of go to Tokyo and get a chance to be received in Japan like we were. And all the while, our fans here are just watching in anticipation for us to come back here. There’s just a lot of excitement and traction, momentum, whatever you want to say, with the Dodger fan base. Our players feel it.”
The Dodgers’ loud homecoming emphasised not solely the Dodgers’ muscle but additionally the energy of their followers.
“Huge advantage,” Roberts mentioned. “You can talk to any relief pitcher that faces us in the late innings, seventh, eighth and ninth inning, and they feel the pressure, and they feel it when the game’s on the line. So I would say probably the biggest advantage is when we’re hitting in the bottom half of the inning in the later innings.”
The house opener ended early Thursday night with the sweetest noise of all.
Welcome again, Randy Newman.
