The Dodgers' 2020 World Series Win: A Celebration Like No Other

Ask the Dodgers what they did to celebrate their 2020 World Series championship, and everyone will offer a similar answer. “Nothing,” pitching coach Mark Prior answered. “Definitely not how you would anticipate it,” pitcher Clayton Kershaw said. “I wouldn’t say it was anticlimactic,” manager Dave Roberts said, “but in a sense it was.” “It was just like it happened, and then it was over,” third baseman Max Muncy added. “We never really got to celebrate.”

For years leading up to that victorious night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, the club dreamed of how winning a World Series would feel. “You put so much time into it,” said outfielder Chris Taylor, one of many players and staff to encounter previous close calls and postseason disappointments. “You always envision what it’s gonna be like when you win.” A big part of those fantasies focused on the celebration: the champagne showers, the all-night revelry, and the downtown parade.

However, what the Dodgers experienced was far less glamorous. The global pandemic forced the Fall Classic inside a bubble, implementing strict social distancing rules that became even more severe after Justin Turner’s positive COVID-19 test during the team’s clinching Game 6 win. “It was like a total lockdown,” Muncy said. “There wasn’t really a whole lot of celebrating.” Three years later, this remains a disappointing subplot to their otherwise triumphant memories, culminating in an awkward, lackluster, and abrupt end.