The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the first two games of the World Series against the New York Yankees, the first postseason final matchup again in 43 years. Dodger Stadium was abuzz with excitement, and fans celebrated the team’s consecutive wins. Korean-American fans also enjoyed watching the game in groups at Korean restaurants.
Games 1 and 2 of the World Series were held at Dodger Stadium on October 25 and 26, and the LA Dodgers claimed the lead. The first game of the World Series especially peaked with a dramatic moment.
The Dodgers and Yankees battled until the ninth inning, with no winner in sight. In the end, the game went to extra innings, and Freddie Freeman’s game-winning walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Dodgers a 6-3 victory. Dodgers fans celebrated the first-ever 10th-inning walk-off home run in World Series history this day.
Game 2 at Dodger Stadium held the next day was a 4-2 victory for the Dodgers behind a strong pitching performance from starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a trio of home runs from Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernandez, and Freddie Freeman. Edman, a second-generation Korean-American, was greeted with a leadoff home run in the second inning. However, Dodgers’ superstar Shohei Ohtani suffered a shoulder injury in the bottom of the seventh inning while trying to steal second base after drawing a walk.
In the history of the best-of-seven World Series, the team that takes both Game 1 and Game 2 has an 84% (77 of 92) chance of winning the title. Fans now have come to expect the Dodgers to win the World Series.
During Games 1 and 2 of the World Series, Southern California was thrilled with excitement. Korean-American fans also cheered as the tension between the two teams played out throughout the game. The excitement extended beyond Dodger Stadium to restaurants, pubs, and sporting goods stores.
“Game 1 of the World Series happened on my son’s 4th birthday and the Dodgers won,” said Robert Oh, 39, who watched Game 1 with his family at an Orange County restaurant. “The kids and their friends’ parents were screaming when the Dodgers won. It was an unforgettable experience.”
On both days of Game 1 and Game 2 of the World Series, people wearing LA Dodgers hats and jerseys were a common sight on the streets of Los Angeles. The sporting goods industry has come alive in a new way.
At Prociety, a sports hat and jersey store in downtown LA, baseball fans flocked to the store to buy LA Dodgers hats and fan merchandise.
“Our sales are up 10 times,” said Eric Park, owner of Prociety. “We received a limited edition hat commemorating the World Series on October 23, and by October 25, which was the opening day, more than 90% of the hats were gone,” he said.
Prociety has also been selling hats with “Dodgers” written in Korean characters, which quickly became short in supply when the World Series started.
Park welcomed the Dodgers specialty, saying, “Many Korean-American customers came to us, and we almost sold out of Korean version Dodgers hats.”
Restaurants and pubs in Koreatown were packed with fans watching the game in groups. Nandarang near 6th Street was filled with customers watching Game 1 together on large screens. “We knew the World Series would be a big event, but we didn’t expect so many customers to come in an hour before the game,” said the restaurant.
Game 3 of the World Series will be played at 5:08 p.m. PT today (October 28) at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, KYEONGJUN KIM, HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
