'a Really Good Time': How Dodgers Spent The First Few Hours After Winning The World Series

TORONTO — What do you retrieve astir about nan epic, riveting, thrill-a-minute Game 7?

The home run? Which one?

That crazy play astatine nan plate? The rubber-armed starter-turned-closer? The past out?

So galore moments, truthful galore stories that will beryllium told and retold among this procreation of Dodgers fans and passed down to nan next.

As nan Dodgers return to Toronto connected Monday, for nan first clip since conquering nan Blue Jays to seizure nan World Series championship, I wanted to look backmost pinch a peek astatine nan charismatic World Series documentary.

Not truthful fast. Major League Baseball did committee a documentary, as it ever does, but nan movie was not fresh for merchandise by nan clip outpouring training started. The bid was truthful melodramatic that nan convention is looking into options for a high-profile rollout, astir apt astir midseason.

The Dodgers did their part, pinch a imaginative bobblehead series of Game 7 moments: Max Muncy’s location tally successful nan eighth inning, Miguel Rojas’ tying location tally successful nan ninth inning, Will Smith’s game-winning location tally successful nan 11th inning, Mookie Betts turning nan game-ending double play, and a Yoshinobu Yamamoto “last out” image.

Collect each five, though, and you still don’t get nan behind-the-scenes entree that a documentary does. So why not inquire nan Dodgers themselves to return you down nan scenes successful those chaotic hours betwixt their departure from Rogers Centre arsenic champions and their presence successful Los Angeles nan pursuing day?

Actually, by nan clip nan Dodgers near nan stadium, it was already nan pursuing day. Game 7 did not extremity until 17 minutes past midnight. The Dodgers gathered connected nan section to cod their title trophy, retreated to nan clubhouse to douse themselves successful champagne and beer, returned to nan section to stock nan infinitesimal pinch their families, past went backmost wrong to ablution and dress.

“By nan clip you get done celebrating, location is obscurity that is still open,” Muncy said. “So we had a small spot downstairs astatine nan hotel. We had a small statement down there.”

It was past 2 a.m. by nan clip astir of nan players and their families joined nan statement successful a edifice ballroom to stock food, drink, and joy.

“It was really cool to clasp each nan families, spot each nan excitement,” Rojas said.

“It was unbelievable that you sewage to bring nan trophy backmost to nan hotel. That’s what I remember: taking those moments and enjoying them pinch nan group that I really attraction about.”

Freddie Freeman said he was 1 of nan first to time off nan party. He and his family stayed astir an hr and a half, and by past his kids were truthful tired that it was clip for bed.

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani holds nan World Series trophy pinch teammates aft defeating nan Toronto Blue Jays successful Game 7 of nan World Series astatine Rogers Centre.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Rojas said he hung retired astatine nan statement until astir 5 a.m. He did not slumber that night.

Was location immoderate slumber to beryllium had for Muncy that night?

“At immoderate point, location was,” he said. “I don’t retrieve it.”

The Dodgers pushed backmost their flights to noon, head Dave Roberts said. The Dodgers recreation successful 2 groups: 1 for families, coaches, and squad staffers; nan different for nan players.

“I don’t cognize what they were doing,” Roberts said. “I was sleeping.”

They were singing.

“My favourite portion was nan autobus thrust going to nan plane,” Freeman said. “Music blaring. Everyone is singing connected nan bus.

“Miguel is connected nan mic. Every opus he played, he seemed to cognize nan words, aliases he made up words.”

For Rojas to get up and singing connected nan squad bus, well, thing caller there. What was caller that greeting was 1 opus successful his repertoire.

“There’s this opus they were playing astatine nan stadium successful nan seventh inning — I deliberation it goes, ‘Oh yay, Blue Jays,’ thing for illustration that,” Rojas said. (It’s called “OK, Blue Jays.”)

“And I was conscionable singing nan opus and getting nan guys going. I didn’t scheme it. I was conscionable happy and letting myself go, arsenic I ever do connected nan mic. And nan guys bask it. I do my portion connected nan autobus each time, and it’s for illustration a performance. Every clip I spell up there, I consciousness for illustration I’m Kevin Hart.”

And past …

“At immoderate point, we were connected a plane,” Muncy said. “I don’t retrieve nan timing of immoderate of that. I conscionable cognize that it was each a batch of fun. Traveling isn’t ever thing that is fun, but successful that scenario, it was thing that everyone really enjoyed.

“You’re passing nan trophy around. You’re getting pictures taken. You’re playing ‘We Are nan Champions’ connected repetition for hours, not getting tired of it astatine all. It’s a really bully time.”

The planes landed. The players reunited pinch their families. It was clip to spell home.

But reflection connected those fewer hours of ceremony — that chaotic scramble to bask nan moment, yet hurry to get everyone fresh to spell location — near nan Dodgers envisioning 1 of nan fewer things this modern dynasty has yet to accomplish.

“I would emotion to triumph astatine home,” Muncy said. “We haven’t done that yet. It would beryllium perfect to do that.”