The Los Angeles Dodgers ended their 32-year wait for a World Series title, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to claim the Major League Baseball crown at last after a string of near-misses.
Back in Major League Baseball's championship showcase for the third time in four years, the Dodgers eased the disappointment of defeats in 2017 and 2018 to win their seventh World Series but their first since 1988.
They beat the Rays 4-2 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, where the first neutral site World Series in baseball history capped a pandemic-shortened campaign, and sparked wild celebrations from their fans.
"This is what you think about when you are a kid," said star Corey Seager, who was named most valuable player of the series.
"You strive to hear that," he said of being called a World Series champion. "To do it with this group couldn't be any more special."
Added catcher Austin Barnes: "We had our hearts broken so many times."
The Dodgers win completed a championship double for Los Angeles, whose LeBron James-led Lakers won their first NBA title since 2010 earlier this month.
As the Dodgers celebrated on the field, key contributor Justin Turner appeared, despite having been withdrawn in the eighth innings after testing positive for coronavirus - a final sombre reminder of the shadow cast on the season by the pandemic.
It was the first positive test since baseball put teams in quarantine bubbles for the League Championship Series, prompting commissioner Rob Manfred to call it a "bittersweet night" for MLB.
"Man this was just awesome," added Seager, who is among the core of players who lived through the Dodgers' recent World Series defeats, a group that also includes star pitcher Clayton Kershaw - who finally added a World Series title to his Hall of Fame resume.
"The resilience, the energy, everything that this team's done this year, it's been fun to be a part of," Seager said.
"We won a World Series, I can't believe it," Kershaw added. "Let me say it a few more times. It feels really good."
