The Los Angeles Dodgers have won their first World Series title since 1988.
The Dodgers won Game 6 of the World Series tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays with a score of 3-1. The Dodgers had previously led the series 3-2, winning Game 1, Game 3 and Game 5 of the series.
Mookie Betts ensured the Dodgers’ win in the eighth inning, when he hit a home run 434 feet over the center field fence. This took the Dodgers from a 2-1 lead to 3-1 dominance. Fans were confused when third baseman Justin Turner was pulled out of the game in the eighth inning. After the game ended, it was reported that he was removed because he tested positive for COVID-19, according to Fox Sports.
“After the completion of the game tonight, we were informed by MLB that Justin Turner received a positive COVID test and that’s why he was removed from the game.” pic.twitter.com/EOxcMlNs5R
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 28, 2020
The game took place at Global Life Field in Arlington, Texas, where the entire series has been played to ensure the players’ safety. The stadium made approximately 11,500 seats available to fans to watch the series in pods six feet away from one another, in addition to other COVID-19 restrictions and safety measures. Global Life Field typically seats 40,000 people.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 baseball season was delayed by fourth months and only featured 60 games, as opposed to its usual 162. New rules were also implemented, including a universal designated hitter, extra innings beginning with a runner on second base and seven-inning games for doubleheaders.
This year marks the sixth time in the past eight seasons that the World Series has gone to at least six games. The only years that haven’t were 2018, when the Boston Red Sox beat the Dodgers in five games, and 2015, when the Kansas City Royals took the title over the New York Mets, also in five games.
The last time the Dodgers won the World Series was in 1988, when they beat the Oakland Athletics in Game 5 after winning a total of four games. This marks L.A.’s second sports championship of the year, with the L.A. Lakers also winning the NBA Finals on Oct. 11.
However, the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact television viewership. Game 1 of the series on Oct. 20 only averaged 7.2 million viewers, which is down around 4 million viewers from last year’s World Series opener between the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox.