No one can doubt the Dodgers now.
After hearing fans and haters make comments about the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series title that came in a shortened season, Los Angeles silenced any of that noise with a World Series win on Wednesday, defeating the Yankees 7-6 in Game 5.
That was clearly on the mind of pitcher Walker Buehler when he was speaking with Ken Rosenthal of Fox on the field after the World Series victory.
“For our organization, we deserve this. We’ve been playing really good baseball for a lot of years,” Buehler said. “Everyone talks s–t about 2020, but they can’t say a whole lot about it now.”
Buehler has spent his entire career with the Dodgers and was on that 2020 club.
The Dodgers defeated the Rays in the Fall Classic that year, but because of the COVID-shortened season, some fans have questioned the title.
“What are you going to say now?” Max Muncy said inside the Dodgers clubhouse amid the wild celebration. “What are you going to say now? You always have something to say. Say what you got to say now, it don’t matter. We’re champions, baby!”
The Dodgers have been one of the best teams in baseball all season and have had to battle through the ups and downs of the long year, including injuries to their pitching staff.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith said he felt that this 2024 title holds the same weight as the 2020 championship.
In fact, Smith said that there were lessons they pulled from that season and applied to this year’s battle for a championship.
“In 2020, we fought,” Smith said. “A bunch of fighters. We took a lot of that fight, a lot of that don’t give up. We were in the bubble [in 2020], we were around each other every day. We took that to this year, we embraced it, we were here for each other.
“Fought as a team and now we’re world champs.