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Hundreds of thousands of Angelenos descended upon downtown Los Angeles on Monday morning to celebrate the Dodgers' second consecutive World Series Championship, something that many say has an impact spanning far beyond sports in what has been a tough year for the city. The thrilling win, which saw the Boys in Blue bounce back from a 3-2 deficit in the series to win a historic Game 7 in extra innings, is one of the best Fall Classic matchups in recent memory. Still, for many Dodger fans, the win means much more than adding another title for LA. The year began with a catastrophic duo of wildfires that burned thousands of homes and businesses and left people across LA County without a home. Months later, as people continued trying to bounce back from the devastation, the city was hit with a continuing trend of immigration enforcement operations. Many across the region have been placed in fear and uncertainty for their future, and the first operations were met with passionate protests turned clashes with U.S. National Guard troops and police, placing Los Angeles in the spotlight across the country. So, when Mookie Betts stomped on second base and hurled a bullet to Freddie Freeman for a series-ending double play, it meant much more to the City of Angels than people outside of the state might know. "If it makes them feel good for this moment tonight, and in the next few days, we hope that it'll make them feel better," said Lakers legend and part-owner of the Dodgers, Magic Johnson, who spoke with CBS News Los Angeles following the win. "Forget about that's going on for just a couple days, couple hours, and that we could give them some enjoyment tonight. ... That they can say, 'My team, our team, won. ... You know, sports has a way of just bringing everybody together, and I think we needed that, the city needed that." For many Dodgers fans, that's exactly what they've felt in the last few days, including Blair Lewis. He lost his home in the Eaton Fire back in January. "Did lose my home, so watching Dodgers baseball has definitely been a relief for us," Lewis said. "Definitely medicine. Makes us forget about reality, just for a couple hours." He said that his entire family lost about a dozen homes in the fire, but just like the Dodgers did, they're fighting back. "Everybody here, everybody in my family is rebuilding," Lewis said. When Angelenos came together in the wake of those fires, the sprawling city suddenly seemed like a small town, where neighbors offered shelter and supplies to people suffering, praying for those they'd never met. They gathered once again on Monday, this time to celebrate their city, that has gone through so much since 2025 began. "This has been a tough year for Los Angeles, but what happened last night in Toronto shows the grit and the spirit of our city," Mayor Karen Bass said on Sunday. "We stand together, we fight together, and we never give up."
