The Los Angeles Dodgers praised their first World Series title since 1988 out of a way nobody might have envisioned preceding the Covid pandemic. They began the party without Justin Turner, as well, the afterword was gotten late that their red-headed star had tested positive for COVID-19.
Turner was eliminated after the seventh inning of Los Angeles’ 3-1 triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 on Tuesday night in the wake of enrolling Major League Baseball’s first positive test in 59 days, and wasn’t at first on the field as the Dodgers delighted in the crown jewels of a title acquired during a most bizarre season.
He returned about an hour after the game, embracing long-lasting partner and star pitcher Clayton Kershaw and sitting up front for a group photograph close to manager Dave Roberts with his veil pulled down under his bushy beard.
“Thanks to everyone reaching out!” Turner tweeted. “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.”
The 35-year-old Turner has been a staple in the Dodgers’ lineup for seven of their eight successive NL West titles. A late-blossoming slugger who helped the game by prevailing with an upper-cut swing, Turner is L.A’s. career leader with 12 postseason home runs, remembering a couple for this Series, in which he hit .364 and furthermore played stellar defense.
“It’s gut-wrenching,” World Series MVP Corey Seager said. “If I could switch places with him right now, I would. That’s just not right.”
Commissioner Rob Manfred affirmed Turner’s positive test minutes in the wake of introducing the World Series trophy to Los Angeles — a jolting token of all that has been diverse in this season in which the perpetually preferred Dodgers at last got through. They were in three of the last four World Series.
Mookie Betts, who went to the Dodgers to have a World Series effect, had a frantic scramble to home plate in the 6th inning to put Los Angeles over the top.
It denoted the finish of a baffling title dry season for L.A. – and maybe the beginning for Betts and the Dodgers, whose seventh World Series title was their 6th since leaving Brooklyn for the West Coast in 1958.
“I had a crazy feeling that came to fruition,” Roberts said. “It’s just a special group of players, organization, all that we’ve kind of overcome.”
Betts darted from third for the go-ahead run on Seager’s infield grounder, at that point opened the eighth with an accentuating homer.
“It was absolutely phenomenal. This team was incredible,” said Seager, also the NLCS MVP who had franchise records with his eight homers and 20 RBIs this postseason. “We never stopped. We were ready to go as soon as the bell was called. Once it did, we kept rolling. You can’t say enough about what we did this season.”
Players were given face covers as they accumulated for their post-game celebration, albeit a significant number of their grasps came veil free even after Turner’s positive test.
Around 2 1/2 weeks after the Lakers won the NBA title while completing their season in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, the Dodgers gave Los Angeles another championship in this year when the novel Covid pandemic has deferred, abbreviated and moved around sports seasons.
The MLB season didn’t begin until late July and was truncated for the briefest regular season since 1878. Furthermore, the extended postseason, with 16 teams making it rather than 10, nearly went the full distance.
There were a lot of fans in Dodgers blue at the new $1.2 billion home of the Texas Rangers, the stadium with the retractable rooftop where they played 16 games more than three weeks. Furthermore, the rooftop was shut for the last one, with foggy conditions and a game-time temperature of 39 degrees outside.
“This year has been crazy, but no matter what, we’ll look back on this and we’re World Series champs. To get to say that and get to be part of that, it’s so special no matter what,” Kershaw said. “The only thing that may have made it better would be to be at Dodger Stadium.”
