By Janice Wong, Staff Writer
Senior Brianna Saucedo watched her TV screen as the L.A. Dodgers pitcher fired the ball to the catcher, striking out the final Tampa Bay Rays batter and securing the championship. Miles away, junior Jakobe Henriquez whooped in jubilation to celebrate the Dodgers’ first World Series title in 32 years. As fireworks burst in the air, they joined Dodger fans in crying tears of joy, unified by the triumphs of their boys in blue.
“It was so surreal to finally see them win after so long,” Saucedo said. “To celebrate, we drove to Whittier Boulevard and saw everybody wearing Dodgers gear, cheering together.”
Saucedo first started rooting for the Dodgers when she was seven years old. In Mexico, her uncle was the coach of current Dodgers pitcher, Victor González. In addition, Saucedo is a big fan of another Mexican native, González’ teammate Julio Urías, who shined during the postseason.
“When they won, I felt so proud to be Mexican,” Saucedo said. “It was so inspiring to see Victor González and Julio Urías represent their country and succeed at such a high level.”
Henriquez is a life-long Dodgers fan, with baseball being a big influence in his life. He plays for the TCHS boys baseball team and enjoys attending Dodgers games often. During the World Series, his favorite player to watch was star outfielder Mookie Betts.
“I was happy to see them win the World Series because, for the past seven years, we’ve gotten so close to winning it all but always fell short,” Henriquez said. “Within the past four years, there were some heartbreaking losses in the postseason, but they never seemed to give up and neither did the fans.”
COVID-19 forced Major League Baseball or MLB, into a shortened season. The league set up playoff bubble locations where teams quarantined their players in hotel rooms and tested them for the virus every day. The Dodgers and the Rays played the World Series in Arlington, Texas, instead of alternating between their respective home stadiums.
Throughout the season, MLB battled with players receiving positive COVID-19 tests and controversy regarding their responses afterward. MLB also postponed numerous games as players opted to sit out in solidarity for the Black Lives Matter protests.
“To see MLB be able to host a competitive World Series means everything,” Henriquez said. “2020 has obviously been terrible so to finally see something good happen makes everyone smile.”
Saucedo and Henriquez expect to see the Dodgers return to the World Series and prevail next season. Meanwhile, they plan to continue celebrating the Dodgers’ big championship win.
“We are all so proud,” Saucedo said. “I can’t wait until next season but in the meantime, go Dodgers!”