Baseball

Everything is coming up Los Angeles Dodgers these days. The Dodgers are coming off back-to-back World Series titles. They unveiled their 2025 championship banner on Opening Day, then stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to score eight straight runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks in an 8-2 win. Will Smith homered, new offseason acquisition Kyle Tucker laced an RBI double into right center field, and Andy Pages hit a go-ahead three-run homer after struggling in the 2025 postseason. Then on Friday night, the team handed out their World Series rings, which, in a unique twist, actually have a second more wearable "band" inside the traditional, bigger ring. Oh, and their other big free agent acquisition, closer Edwin Diaz, got his first opportunity to pitch in a regular season game at Dodger Stadium. RELATED: Insane New MLB Revenue Numbers Expose Owners Hoarding Cash Instead Of Trying To WinAnd the organization, never one to miss a chance at putting on a show, took full advantage of it.Diaz, in his time with the New York Mets, became famous for his electric entrance into home games, accompanied by the song "Narco" by Timmy Trumpet. On Friday night, with the Dodgers up 5-4 over the Diamondbacks entering the ninth inning, Diaz had his first save opportunity in LA. And unsurprisingly, his new team continued the tradition with one major upgrade: a live trumpet.Hard to beat that. After the game, Diaz said that he didn't know the organization would have a live trumpet to accompany his entrance, but that it was "pretty fun" to see it."I was surprised a little bit," Diaz said in his postgame interview. "I heard a trumpet sounding before I was coming out. I said, 'No way, they got a live trumpet.' It was pretty fun. I enjoyed it, and I know fans enjoyed, too."Dodger manager Dave Roberts apparently was informed before the game, and wanted Diaz to pitch so the fans could enjoy the performance. It just so happened that it came in a save situation."I got word that there might be a trumpet player," he said. "That was great. I was hoping to get him in there, and it worked out, and he performed. I think the fans got what they were hoping for."Diaz worked around a one-out walk to pitch a scoreless inning in his Dodgers debut, securing the 5-4 and giving Los Angeles a 2-0 start. Tucker, by the way, drove in the go-ahead run in the 8th inning after early home runs from Alex Freeland and Mookie Betts. It's an embarrassment of riches in LA right now.