After an incomparable Major League Baseball season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are now World Series champions, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in Game 6 to win the best-of-seven series four games to two.
Los Angeles has waited 32 years for this moment, and it came during a pandemic, in front of a limited crowd of predominantly Dodgers fans at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. It also comes just over two weeks after the Lakers won the NBA championship for the first time in 10 years.
It was a World Series matchup that provided a thrilling finish to the Major League Baseball season.
On Tuesday night, MLB couldn’t escape coronavirus fears. Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was removed from Game 6 before it ended because he received a positive Covid-19 test. The on-field celebration took place with the Dodgers wearing masks.
“It’s a bittersweet night for us,” MLB commissioner Manfred said on FOX Sports.point 195 | “We’re glad to be done.point 226 |
I think it’s a great accomplishment for our players to get the season completed, but obviously, we’re concerned when any of our players test positive.point 138 | We learned during the game that Justin was positive.point 182 | He was immediately isolated to prevent spread.point 222 |
”point 7 | 1
On Twitter, Turner thanked those who reached out to him.
“I feel great, no symptoms at all. Just experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine. Can’t believe I couldn’t be out there to celebrate with my guys! So proud of this team & unbelievably happy for the City of LA,” Turner tweeted.
While it was the Dodgers’ third World Series appearance in the last four years, they had not won it all since 1988 — a full decade before the Rays’ inaugural season. This was Tampa’s second World Series appearance, the other coming in 2008.
“I had a crazy feeling that came to fruition,” Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager said. “It’s just a special group of players, organization, just all that we’ve kind of overcome, I just knew that we weren’t going to be denied this year.”