World Series savior Miguel Rojas was the star of DodgerFest

Dodger Stadium has hosted playoff games, parades and pressure that can crush a season before it even starts. On Saturday something was organized for the first time: a fan festival for consecutive World Series champions.

An estimated 30,000 fans poured into Chavez Ravine for the 2026 Dodgers FanFest, and a chance to see their beloved Boys in Blue since the confetti settled on the November celebration.

The early hours felt like a block party dressed in blue.

Fans floated around the center field filled with interactive games, sponsor activations, live music and the familiar chaos of Dodger Dogs and cold beers disappearing faster than winter should allow. VIP experiences drew fans to seats normally reserved for October excitement, while exclusive merchandise flew off the shelves as souvenirs of a dynasty still in full swing.

But what stood out was not the scale, but the ease with which the players interacted with the fans.

Blake Snell ran past the barriers and dropped the first bumps. Anthony Banda blushed as women screamed his name and told him they ‘loved him’. For all the players present, the shouting never stopped. But neither is the smile on the defending champion’s faces.

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“This is always a really fun event,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said after waving to fans from the Dodgers bullpen. “When you come to this event and you see how excited the fans are, it really puts you in the right mindset.”

Signature lines around pillars. Selfies with players were a currency shared by all. And when Shohei Ohtani finally showed up, the reaction felt less like baseball and more like a pop culture phenomenon.

“It was like the Beatles in the ’60s when Shohei arrived,” said Brian, a Dodgers fan from Westlake who drove more than an hour to be at FanFest.

Ohtani may have gotten the loudest ovation, but Miguel Rojas let out a different kind of roar: louder, deeper, more personal. Rojas has re-signed for one final season after his heroics in Game 7 and is now heading into what fans are already seeing as a farewell tour.

“I’m so happy Miguel Rojas is coming back for another year,” said Joey Molloy, a lifelong Dodgers fan attending his sixth FanFest. “He got by far the biggest ovation besides Shohei.”

And yet, even as the rings flickered and the banners loomed, the loudest anticipation focused on something yet to come: the first night Edwin Díaz jogs in from the bullpen to “Timmy Trumpets.” Chavez Ravine already knows what it will sound like.

“That’s going to hit this stadium so hard,” Molloy said.

The chatter in the stadium was equal parts celebration and ambition. Back-to-back World Series titles were celebrated and then immediately dismissed. The real conversation was about a three-peat. On becoming the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to do it. About embracing the villain label that comes with spending, winning, and refusing to apologize for either. “The Dodgers are not ruining baseball,” said Stephanie, wearing a night jersey from Mexican Dodgers history. “The owners who are not spending are.”

The day ended with a 90-minute show. Dave Roberts didn’t avoid the word “three-peat.” Neither do the players. “We feel comfortable winning,” said Victor Ramirez, an Eagle Rock electrician. “We’re a bit spoiled.”

He’s right. But this is what winning looks like.