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Dodgers celebrate consecutive World Series win in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their 4-3 series win over the Toronto Blue Jays with a parade through L.A.

I have written about baseball for more than five decades and I was lucky enough to just witness the greatest World Series of all-time and quite honestly the greatest game of all-time.

Game 7 Saturday night had all the emotional thrills, magic moments and heroic performances packed into one for-the ages game. 

The heroes were everywhere.  In the dugouts, in the infield, in the outfield, at the plate on the mound. 

You could list the defining moments of Game 7 and it would be longer than any kid’s Christmas list. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Will Smith, Andy Pages.  Miguel Rojas!   Dave Roberts who kept dealing inside straights.  Plays, hits, pitches.  It was a game of inches, maybe molecules. 

It had all the ingredients of sports glory – drama, emotion, tension, excitement, surprise and importance. 

The Dodgers – and their fans – now have four months to recuperate, re-energize and recoup before they play another game.  It may not be enough time.  Adrenaline is likely still driving the Dodgers.  Exhaustion is right around the corner,

But thanks for the memories, the history.  What a Series!

Naturally, he Dodgers are riding high.  They successfully defended their world championship of 2024. They had a robust, albeit rocky at times, regular season, winning the West once again.

But those bumps in the road might really be potholes.

They were an average team for most of the summer and their bullpen woes were never really fixed.  There is an even stronger underbelly to the Dodgers issues moving forward – hitting. Or lack, thereof.

When they sober up from one of the more scintillating and dramatic World Series in history, they will have to take a long look at themselves.  And they will do it without Clayton Kershaw, who has been the face of the franchise for 18 Hall of Fame seasons.  Kershaw will spend 2026 and beyond with his growing family in Texas. 

When the Dodger hierarchy sits down and looks into both the near and long future, they will see some aging stars in the middle of the lineup.  Stars who all had down, although not necessarily dramatic ones, 2025 seasons.

Consider entering the new season in four months Freddie Freeman will be 36, Max Muncy 35, Mookie Betts 33 and Teoscar Hernandez 32.  All are under contract except Muncy who will most likely be replaced if the organization can find a suitable upgrade.

The two most attractive offensive options this off season will be free agents Bo Bichette of Toronto (who would play second or third in L.A.) and Kyle Tucker of the Cubs (who would fill the gaping hole in left field). 

There’s Shohei Ohtani, of course, the unicorn himself, and All-Star catcher Will Smith.  But what to think of Andy Pages, who trailed only Ohtani in home runs (27) this season but couldn’t hit a wiffle ball in the playoffs and was benched mid World Series?

These challenges are only part of what faces the Dodgers during the offseason.  The bullpen survived October because starters were used in relief, notably Roki Sasaki, who likely will return to the starting rotation to take Kershaw’s place.  That will leave the remainder of the bullpen staff looking like a Rubik’s cube. 

Meanwhile, down in Anaheim, things could be worse.  But only if Disneyland moved to Asuza or Alhambra.

The last-place Angels have already had a sad offseason, being mired in a long multi-million dollar lawsuit brought by the family of Tyler Skaggs, who died of an overdose in 2019. 

And then the team selected Kurt Suzuki to be their new (another one) manager and gave him all the assurance and confidence by giving him a one-year deal!  (Compare that to the Giants who hired a new manager from college baseball and gave him a three-year contract).

Same ol’ Angels.

Pete Donovan is a Palm Desert resident and former Los Angeles Times sports reporter. He can be reached atpwdonovan22@yahoo.com