Dodgers to celebrate World Series victory with parade and stadium celebration

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers will celebrate their eighth World Series championship with a downtown parade and a stadium gathering featuring Shohei Ohtani and other star players on Friday.

Seven double-decker buses filled with players, their families and the coaching staff rolled along a freeway on their way to the start of the parade. Players waved at cars stuck in traffic on the other side.

Some players were smoking cigars and drinking beer on the sun-splashed day.

The Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in five games, clinching the title with a 7-6 victory in the Bronx on Wednesday.

The team said that because of logistics, traffic and timing, fans won’t be able to attend both events. People dressed in blue Dodgers gear began gathering along downtown streets hours ahead of time.

The parade will begin at Gloria Molina Grand Park in front of City Hall with Mayor Karen Bass in attendance. It will continue on a 45-minute route that culminates at the intersection of 5th and Flower streets.

The celebration at Dodger Stadium will begin shortly after noon. The parade will be carried on the stadium’s videoboards ahead of the team’s arrival.

A portion of the proceeds from the ticketed stadium event will be donated to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.

There were more than a dozen arrests during informal celebrations after the team's comeback win to clinch the Series. Burglaries, vandalism and fires occurred in some parts of the city.

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