Far from ruining baseball, the Dodgers revived it

High-priced team that everyone outside of Los Angeles booed ended up with cheers

- BILL PLASCHKE COLUMNIST

ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times THE DODGERS' Will Smith is mobbed by teammates after his Game 7 homer. "We've put together something pretty special," manager Dave Roberts says.

The Dynasty Dodgers. Shout it as loud as a Will Smith home run, ball soaring, arms flailing, blue immortality awaiting.

Shout it as deep as a Miguel Rojas home run, impossible, unimaginable, shaking all of Los Angeles, forever.

Shout it long enough to line a parade.

The Dynasty Dodgers.

Two measly outs from a World Series Game 7 defeat, the Dodgers roared back in the final breaths of baseball's ultimate game Saturday to pull off an ultimate victory, overtaking the gritty Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre to steal a 5-4, 11-inning win for their second consecutive World Series championship.

In becoming the first team in 25 years to win consecutive championships, in winning their third title in six seasons, the Dodgers are now certifiably a dynasty.

And Rojas and Smith are certifiably Dodgers icons after Rojas' home run tied the score in the ninth and Smith's home run gave them the lead and decided the game in the 11th.

"We've put together something pretty special, I do know that," manager Dave Roberts said after leading their fifth champagne party this fall. "To do what we've done in this span of time is pretty remarkable. I guess let the pundits and all the fans talk about if it's a dynasty or not, but I'm pretty happy with where we're at."

The classic ended with an Alejandro Kirk double-play grounder in the bottom of 11th induced by a third icon, series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who finished with 2 2/3 scoreless innings despite throwing 96 pitches 24 hours earlier.

The Dodgers raced to the center of the diamond where they bounced and danced in a group hug that became a massive dogpile of exultation and relief.