It’s a new season, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are still celebrating their 2024 World Series win.
Rapper Ice Cube arrived at the Dodgers’ dugout in a classic blue convertible with the Commissioner’s Trophy sitting in the front passenger seat. Magic Johnson carried the trophy to home plate as the crowd of 53,595 cheered loudly before the Dodgers’ home opener against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
The Dodgers won 5-4, with Teoscar Hernández hitting a three-run homer and Shohei Ohtani adding a solo shot.
“It’s always great here, especially in front of the fans,” Hernández said.
Players and staff will get their World Series rings before Friday’s game.
Los Angeles started the season in Tokyo earlier this month with two wins against the Chicago Cubs.
Thursday focused on honoring the Dodgers’ victory over the New York Yankees, marking their eighth World Series championship and second since the pandemic-delayed 2020 season.
“I thought the ceremony was fantastic,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The fans were really into it.”
Kirk Gibson came out to throw the first pitch to World Series MVP Freddie Freeman. Gibson, who was injured, hit a pinch-hit, walk-off homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series against Oakland, becoming a memorable part of Dodgers history.
Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 against the Yankees was similar to Gibson’s heroics. Freeman came out on the field with his wife, three sons, father, and stepmother while fans chanted “Freddie! Freddie!”
“Gibby meet Freddie,” Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis said, referring to last year’s Game 1 moment when he said, “Freddie meet Gibby” after Freeman’s homer.
Earlier, Dodgers owners Mark Walter, Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Todd Boehly, and Johnson raised a blue-and-white World Series flag in center field.
Los Angeles Dodgers players in the opening ceremonyIn right field, a baseball with “2024” in blue lettering was revealed by captains from the Los Angeles and Pasadena fire departments, joining others that mark the franchise’s World Series titles.
The new champions wore jerseys with “Dodgers” in gold script on the front and their names and numbers in gold on the back.
“We nailed it,” Roberts said.
Led by Ohtani, players in the starting lineup ran down a blue carpet from center field to the infield as blue smoke and white fireworks went off.
The Tigers watched from their dugout while Detroit starter Tarik Skubal warmed up in right field near the carpet. Ohtani briefly acknowledged him as he jogged by.
Two F-15C aircraft from Fresno, California, and two F-35A Lightning II fighter jets from Arizona flew overhead after Josh Groban sang the national anthem.
A video showing last season’s victory played after clips of the World Series trophy visiting NFL and NBA games in Los Angeles and its trip to Tokyo.
Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández stayed home because he was sick. He’s expected to return Friday, though he won’t be in the starting lineup.
“My hope is that he’ll be here ready to come off the bench,” Roberts said.
Mookie Betts started at shortstop after missing some time with an illness that caused him to lose 18 pounds.
“After the game he looked like he wasn’t fatigued, which is a good thing,” Roberts said. “My expectation is that he’ll be back in there tomorrow.”
