The Los Angeles Dodgers captured their second straight World Series championship with an exhilarating 5-4 Game 7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Second baseman Miguel Rojas was a critical component of the effort and kept Los Angeles in the contest when he launched a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth off Toronto closer Jeff Hoffman.
Rojas’ heroics were special to say the least, but the 36-year-old had more than pressure to contend with while he attempted to help his team. The Los Teques native was also dealing with an injury that had been reaggravated after the group’s Game 6 celebration.
“The fact that Rojas was on the field Saturday was far from a certainty earlier in the day,” wrote Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
“The night before, in his first start since Game 2 of the division series, the veteran infielder had tweaked a lingering intercostal injury after completing an awkward game-winning double-play at second base, and getting forcefully mobbed by his teammates in the on-field celebration.”
Rojas waited until he arrived at the stadium to decide whether or not he was healthy enough to play.
“Doc was texting me and asking if I could go,” Rojas said. “I told him, ‘Hey, let me get to the stadium and hit [to see].’”
Luckily for the Dodgers and their fans, the 12-year veteran was fit to gut out one final game and provide a spark when needed.
“The game honors you, and right there the game honored him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Rojas.
The Dodgers became the first team to earn back-to-back titles since the New York Yankees won three straight championships from 1998-2000.
“This is a legacy that is gonna be remembered forever,” Rojas said. “I don’t know if this is the best team ever assembled or anything like that. You guys tell me after. But it’s pretty close to being one of the best teams ever.”
