The brutality of Los Angeles traffic never relents, even on the Dodgers' big day. As the 2024 MLB champions make their way through the city for the celebratory World Series parade, the buses carrying members of the team, organization, and their families fell victim to the perils of daily travel in LA.
“It’s inevitable,” one fan posted on X. “It is LA after all, lol,” someone else chimed in. “Classic LA moment!” another person wrote. “Gotta love it.”
A traffic jam may have briefly delayed the festivities, but this franchise and its fans have been waiting a long time for this moment. Their patience will withstand a hold-up or two.
COVID-19 prevented the Los Angeles Dodgers from partaking in a parade after their 2020 championship season. The chance to cut loose and bask in a hard-earned title run in front of legions of frenzied supporters is something many players treasure. And now they get to experience it.
The 2024 World Series victory carries special weight for Dodgers
The Dodgers overcame their chronic pitching injuries, made splashy and subtle acquisitions and displayed great resilience en route to the franchise's eighth championship. No one will paint LA as the plucky underdog, but this ballclub had to work hard to finally dispel the “October choker” narrative that has long hovered above Chavez Ravine.
This was a particularly emotional season for the Boys in Blue, as World Series MVP Freddie Freeman watched his three-year-old son fight for his life after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (a rare autoimmune disorder) earlier in the season. Fans showered the beloved first baseman with love and support following his return to the team, which surely fueled him while he nursed untimely injuries during the playoffs. This march through LA means the world to the entire Freeman family, who now have the wonderful gift of capping off the 2024 campaign with young Max.
The jubilation they and the rest of the Dodgers feel on this Friday afternoon, which poetically happens to be the birthday of the late great Fernando Valenzuela, transcends the game. Furthermore, it makes fans remember why they invest their heart and soul into a child's game for more than half the year.
As maddening as it can be, LA traffic is still not powerful enough to dampen the enthusiasm and gratitude that is presently pulsating throughout The City of Angels.