World Series Champion Dodgers Run It Back
The entrance to Dodger Stadium on Monday, March 15, 2021, in Los Angeles, Calif. The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping to become MLB's first back-to-back champions in over two decades. (Michael Goldsmith l The Corsair)
The World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers are set to open the 2021 season next month as the favorites to bring home a second straight Commissioner's Trophy. Opening day is scheduled for Thursday, April 1, with the Dodgers opening up on the road against their National League West neighbor Colorado Rockies. The World Series champs will have their home opener on Friday, April 9, with fans expected to be back in the stands at Dodger Stadium for the first time since Oct. 9, 2019.
Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2020 season was filled with historic challenges and uncertainty amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Spring training camps were put on hold as the country adjusted to a new normal. Opening Day was pushed back from mid-spring to late summer, with the season eventually shortened from 162 to 60 games. COVID-19 protocols like daily testing, social distancing, and empty stadiums became a part of everyday life for baseball players across the majors.
When the dust finally settled, Los Angeles's home team found themselves alone at the top of the mountain — winning their first World Series title since 1988 by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in six games, with 26-year-old shortstop Corey Seager earning the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award.
The road back to the Fall Classic and a second straight championship will not be an easy one — baseball has seen just two back-to-back champions over the past 40 years. Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the uphill battle his team faces during a Feb. 21 press conference, stating, “There’s a reason why...no team has repeated [as World Series champions] since 2000 — because it’s not easy. So I think [it’s important] for us to acknowledge that, [and] really understand the pillars of what makes us great. Keeping that the focus...will allow for us to have that same opportunity this year.”
In addition to the normal difficulties a defending World Series champion encounters, the pandemic will continue to be the elephant in the room all season long. “It’s not going to be easy, there’s going to be frustration at times, but the world that we knew a couple of years ago is different," said Roberts. "The most important thing is we got to stay healthy, and we got to play well on the field. We do a good job of minimizing the noise and [not] worrying about things that we really can’t control.”
Santa Monica College English professor Jeff Sosner, a San Fernando Valley native and longtime Dodger fan, still vividly remembers how it felt 33 years ago when his team made it to the promised land. "I remember the tremendous excitement," said Sosner of the 1988 World Series title. "I'd say that I was even more excited this time around, maybe because it's been so long. Several times in the last few months I've pulled up the video of that last strikeout [to win last year's World Series]. And it's just like — oh god, I still get chills."
The ten-year SMC professor is among many who see this year's team as even better. The Dodgers used the offseason to sign 2020 National League Cy Young winner, Trevor Bauer, resign fan-favorite, Justin Turner, and reach one-year agreements with arbitration-eligible, Seager, 2019 National League MVP Cody Bellinger, and hard-throwing youngster Julio Urias. "You can make the argument they look even better, even stronger this time around," Sosner said. "I'm really excited to get the season started."
Sosner and his wife hope to attend a game at Dodger Stadium this season, assuming they've both had the opportunity to be vaccinated. "I'm a very cautious person, so I'm content to watch it on TV. But there is something about being at Dodger Stadium that you can't beat. Plus, we're just so eager to get out of the house and start living again," said Sosner. "Absolutely I feel good about getting into the stands, as long as they [are] going to do things like limited capacity, and maintain an atmosphere where you can socially distance [while taking] in the game."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently stated that fans would be in attendance for the Dodgers' home opener, highlighting the fact that the Golden State's positivity rate had fallen under 2.5%. “We have confidence when you look forward to April, to Opening Day, and where we are likely to be if we all do our jobs,” Newsom said. “If we don’t let our guard down...then I have all the confidence in the world that fans will be back safely."
The California Department of Public Health followed up two days later by announcing that fans would indeed be able to attend MLB games in California, with the specific number of attendees determined by how widespread the virus is in a particular county. Los Angeles County moved from the most-restrictive purple tier to the red tier earlier this week, meaning that 11,200 fans will be allowed in Dodger Stadium for each game — 20% of its' 56,000-seat capacity.
"Hopefully we'll see Dodger Stadium rockin' again sooner rather than later," said Sosner. "Which will depend a lot on how quickly we can reach that herd immunity stage." Dodger fans across Los Angeles share that hopeful optimism, as they look forward to another historic championship season in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis.
