On one of the happiest days of the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans, Fernando Valenzuela was present in the heart and mind of everyone.
During the celebration of the champion Dodgers that took place in their stadium at the end of the parade through the city center, Valenzuela was fondly remembered on the day he would have turned 64 years old.
First was the “Happy Birthday” that the actor Edward James Olmos sang to him from the field, accompanied by tens of thousands of fans. who were already waiting for the players to arrive at Dodger Stadium.
A while later, after all the members of the Dodgers were on stage, manager Dave Roberts remembered Vin Scully, the beloved voice of the club for 67 years, and then referred to another great legend of the franchise.
“Number 34, Fernando Valenzuela!” said an animated Roberts to the roar of some 45,000 fans present. “Happy birthday Fernando, this is for you too!”
Thousands of fans at Dodger Stadium proudly wore their jerseys with the number 34, a number retired on August 11, 2023 and which has since hung in the Dodgers’ ring of honor above the stands on the left field side. The 34 has been accompanied by flowers since the day of the death of the hero of Etchohuaquila on October 22.
Elsewhere in the celebration, Dodgers president Stan Kasten thanked the team’s fans in Los Angeles and mentioned the Mexican fans.
“This championship is not just for the four million people who come to the stadium every year or the millions who watch us on TV from home or the fans we have outside of Los Angeles,” Kasten said. “They are our fans all over the country, the Dodgers fans in Mexico, the fans in the Dominican Republic, the fans in Korea, the fans in Japan and in any other part of the world.”
More than 42,000 tickets were sold for the event at the stadium after a parade that was estimated to be attended by around 225,000 people.
Ovation for Freddie Freeman and tears for Teoscar Hernández
The public applauded each of the Dodgers who took the microphone, but The twists were louder when Freedie Freeman was called by Dave Roberts. The MVP of the World Series He recalled the support he received from all over Los Angeles and his teammates when his son Max was very sick during the season.
“That is one of the greatest experiences I have had in the field. I was very moved. “I did everything I could to be on the field for all of you and I’m glad I did because now we have a championship,” Freeman said amid chants of “Fre-ddie, Fre-ddie!” of the fans.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart and I can’t wait to do this again next year. Let’s go Dodgers!”
Mookie Betts, who now has three championships (two with the Dodgers), told fans he wants to fill his hand with rings and then called Teoscar Hernándezwhom he praised as the most focused person on the team and the man who led the Dodgers to the World Series. The Dominican had a spectacular campaign in his first year in Los Angeles.
But after greeting the public, emotions overcame Hernández, who had to pause while crying. After a loud applause, the outfielder said: “I have played this game to win and the Dodgers gave me the opportunity to come here, where I could help this organization, this city, this team, these people, win the championship. They made a dream come true. Thank you for making me a world champion,” said Hernández, very moved.
Kershaw’s message and Ohtani’s words in English
The fans’ love for Clayton Kershaw was demonstrated once again when manager Roberts called him to speak.
“I have waited a long time for this day. I’ve been waiting to celebrate for a long time. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now,” said the left-handed winner of 212 games with Los Angeles and who also couldn’t hold back his tears. “I couldn’t imagine doing it with a better group of people than this.”
One of the surprises of the event was hearing Shohei Ohtani speak in English. The Japanese man went to the party with everything and his dog, Decoy.
“This is a very special moment for me,” Ohtani said before being interrupted by a cheer from the people’s surprise at hearing him speak in English for the first time. “I also feel very honored to be here and be part of this team. Congratulations Los Angeles. Thank you fans.”
News in development.