LOS ANGELES — On a night designed to honor the second straight World Series championship for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was fitting that the two players they signed over the offseason to hopefully cement a third ultimately sealed the victory.
Friday night at Dodger Stadium began with the presentation of the team’s 2025 World Series rings. A Dodger-blue carpet led from the home dugout to a mobile stage in front of the pitcher’s mound, where several key figures of the organization — owner and chairman Mark Walter, president and CEO Stan Kasten, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes — honored the players who won the first back-to-back World Series title in franchise history.
There were plenty of highlights, including deafening cheers for Game 3 hero Will Klein, World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and beloved reliever Alex Vesia, who missed the series after the sudden death of his newborn daughter, Sterling Sol. But the crowning moment came after the ceremony had seemingly ended — with one name notably absent from recognition.
It would not have been a proper ring ceremony without the inclusion of Clayton Kershaw, who was back in Los Angeles after making his debut as an analyst on NBC’s Opening Day broadcast, and has joined the team as a special assistant. When Dodger Stadium began playing his emblematic walk-up song “We Are Young” by fun., the crowd went berserk. As fans rose to their feet, Kershaw emerged from the dugout and headed to the mound, where his longtime manager Dave Roberts waited with a baseball.
Much to the delight of the fans, Kershaw threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Freddie Freeman. After, the rest of the Dodgers joined Kershaw at home plate while Mookie Betts presented him with his third — and final — World Series ring.
“That was cool, man,” Betts said. “He deserved that ovation. He’s a winner. He went out on top.”
The Dodgers would prefer to end this season on top as well. They have every intention of becoming the first team in the National League to win three straight World Series. It’s why they once again cast their checkbooks to the side and signed top free agents Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz over the winter.
In the Dodgers’ 5-4 comeback win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, both players showed how they could help make a three-peat a reality. Tucker’s go-ahead single to score Alex Freeland in the eighth set the table for Díaz’s first save opportunity in a Dodger uniform. Díaz responded by shutting the door in the ninth, striking out two as the Dodgers improved to 2-0.
Perhaps the newcomers were motivated by what they witnessed before the game.
“It was really fun to watch those guys getting their rings,” Díaz said. “My goal for this year is being in that moment next year. So I have to (work) together. I want to help this team to win. I know if this team stays healthy, we can do it again.”
Díaz will play a critical part in the Dodgers’ attempts to three-peat. The Dodgers have not wielded a traditional closer since Kenley Jansen in 2021. But they were incentivized after a down year from Tanner Scott last season, and proceeded to sign the best available reliever on the market.
Díaz’s Dodger debut — and his classic entrance music — didn’t disappoint. After the final out of the eighth inning, the stadium lights went dark as the gate of the left field bullpen swung open. The beginning of “Narco” by Timmy Trumpet and Blasterjaxx blasted through the stadium speakers. But the Dodgers had a treat of their own. Los Angeles-based musician Tatiana Tate, who also serves as the music director for singer and rapper Doechii, played the song’s iconic trumpet intro live from the outfield concourse, surprising everyone — including Díaz.
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“I heard a trumpet sounding before I was coming out. I said, ‘No way, they got a live trumpet,’” Díaz laughed. “It was pretty fun. I enjoyed, and I know fans enjoyed, too.”
Díaz rewarded Dodger fans with dominance in the ninth. He whiffed Carlos Santana on a nasty slider below the zone for out No. 1. After Alex Thomas walked and stole second, Díaz responded by freezing Jordan Lawlar on a fastball down the middle, and inducing a soft ground ball to shortstop from Ketel Marte to end the game.
“I always get a little bit nervous when I come into a game, but at the end of the day, I was excited, too, because it was my first time pitching in Dodger Stadium (as a Dodger),” Díaz said. “Coming into a one-run game was pretty big for me. I wanted to shut it down, second day of the season. Help the team to win, get the W, get the save. And keep going.”
The one-run game wouldn’t have existed without Tucker. He worked a pivotal walk in the third inning to set the table for Betts, who crushed his first home run of the season — a three-run shot to right-center. When Alex Freeland’s leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth led to a prime scoring opportunity, Tucker knew he needed to come through.
With Freeland advancing to third as the go-ahead run, and the D-backs infield playing in, just getting the ball to the grass would likely do the trick. Tucker did exactly that and shot a hard-hit ball to right field, allowing Freeland to score with ease.
“Just a pitch I could at least try to get to the outfield,” Tucker said when asked what he was looking for in that at-bat. “We put up some good at-bats before that. Freeland did a phenomenal job … Just getting that opportunity to get a guy in there was huge. I got the job done.”
Friday night’s purpose was two-fold. As each player was introduced during the ring ceremony, it was impossible to ignore the staggering amount of championship experience on this Dodgers roster. Betts received his fourth ring. Freddie Freeman and Kiké Hernández have three. Shohei Ohtani donned his second ring, and he’s made it clear he wants a third. Tucker last won a title in 2022 with the Houston Astros, a championship that came with controversy.
Díaz has never won a World Series. The chance to do so was a driving force in his decision to sign with Los Angeles.
The Dodgers know the difficulty of winning the World Series, let alone three times in a row. But they hope that with two new superstars in their clubhouse, their efforts will be aided.
“We’re looking to win games, and that’s the reason why we got these two guys,” Rojas said. “These guys are so talented, but at the same time, all they care about is winning. That’s what we’re seeing here. Tucker with the big knock and big RBI, (Díaz) closing the game. Obviously, it’s going to be a full team effort, but we are so excited to have them.”
That feeling is mutual.
“I think this is a really good team,” Díaz said. “I think we got a lot of good players here. Like I said, I think if everyone stays healthy, this team has the chance to win, three-peat. Let’s cross our fingers that everyone stays healthy and keeps winning baseball games.”