By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a second straight World Series and their third in six years with a 5-4, extra-innings win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game Seven on Saturday, bolstering their credentials as Major League Baseball’s dominant team of the era.
Backed by one of MLB’s largest payrolls and boasting a constellation of stars, including the incomparable Shohei Ohtani and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the preseason favorites absorbed year-long scrutiny and delivered again.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said.
“When you put on this uniform, you’re expected to win. For us to do it again under immense pressure says a lot about this group.”
With the dramatic victory, the Dodgers became MLB’s first repeat champions since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000.
“This is so hard to do, and we get to use the same narrative next year because the Yankees went back-to-back-to-back,” Freeman added.
Shortstop Miguel Rojas, who tied the game with a solo homer in the ninth and made several key defensive plays, said the title capped a grueling campaign that began with season-opening games in Japan and ended on Canadian soil.
“The Dodgers have been doing so much for baseball the last two years. People should be really proud of this organization,” Rojas said.
“We just played for nine months. Started the year in Japan and now finished in Canada. We can’t wait to go back to LA, represent our fans and bring the trophy home again. Back-to-back for the first time in 25 years – how does that sound?”
Manager Dave Roberts lauded the club’s resilience in a game where they were down to their final two outs before Rojas’ ninth-inning blast tied it up. Catcher Will Smith smashed a solo shot in the 11th that proved to be the winning run.
“There were so many pressure points where that game could have flipped, and we just kept fighting,” Roberts told reporters.
“We’ve done something that hasn’t been done in decades.”
Asked about the dynasty debate, Roberts demurred.
“We’ve put together something pretty special,” he said.
“Let the pundits talk about whether it’s a dynasty or not, but I’m pretty happy with where we’re at.
“We persevered, and we’re the last team standing.”
The Dodgers’ championship parade will be held on Monday in Los Angeles.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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