Mike Moran and his son had one refrain running through the bases of their minds Monday morning: “What’s left?”
The longtime Dodgers fan, 42, said he’s raised his eight-year-old to root for the Boys in Blue since birth, and they’ve amassed an extensive collection of shirts, caps, jerseys, posters and related knick-knacks. What they didn’t yet have was a T-shirt commemorating the back-to-back World Series win of their beloved Los Angeles Dodgers on Nov. 1.
So they drove to Dick’s Sporting Goods in Pasadena the morning of parade and rally day in search of matching black championship tees. They could only find the light blue versions of the tops.
But like their champions, who trailed until the 11th inning of a winner-take-all title game, the two didn’t give up.
“We’ll try another store, or come back tomorrow,” Moran said, eyeing the dwindling pile of $42 shirts scattered across two tables at the store. Beside it was a lonely Dodgers logo notepad and a box containing a 6-inch Shohei Otani collectible figure, retailing for $40.
The two said they are undeterred and still happy, he said, that their team are the first repeat World Series champs in 25 years. To have something to remember that victory by is enough, they said.
DeAnna Holland, field marketing manager for Dick’s, the Pennsylvania-based company, said if they can’t find their item of choice, fans can always continue to check back in-store and online as products are released.
“We saw a steady stream of excited fans celebrating the Dodgers’ championship win,” starting Saturday night, Holland said. “We always draw an impressive crowd right after a big win like the World Series, but the excitement seems to ramp up throughout the weekend as well,” she added. “There’s been a lot of energy in our stores as fans look to gear up and show off their team pride.”
As to what have been top sellers, Holland said anything that celebrates the championship win is selling well, such as official locker room T-shirts to hats, hoodies and jerseys.
And even as hitter and pitcher Shohei Otani’s No. 17 jersey remains the best-selling baseball jersey on the sports fan gear site Fanatics, starting at $134.99, gear with the names of his teammates such as Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and the retiring Clayton Kershaw are not far behind. At Dick’s Sporting Goods, Holland said jersey sales show Dodger fans are more equitable, with enthusiasm across the roster after Saturday’s win.
“It’s been great to see fans come together to celebrate such an exciting moment for the Dodgers,” Holland said, and the store is proud to play a role in helping fans rep their team. When the World Series fervor abates, the stores are ready to gear up for perhaps less-celebrated but no less-loved winter sports and local youth leagues.
At Burbank Sportcards the day after the World Series win, it was a sea of Dodger blue in store.
“It was crazy, a cool place to hang out,” said owner Rob Veres. “We’re just selling so much stuff it’s exciting.”
Daniel Baghdasarian, director of marketing at the family owned business, said the buzz in the business since Saturday’s win was all about World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and perennial favorite Otani.
“I feel like a lot of people have felt that about Ohtani for years,” Baghdasarian said of the history-making Dodgers hitter and pitcher.
A showcase dedicated to Otani displays cards from all price points, from $2 to $8 to $15, and climbing to $3,000. Last week, the store sold an Otani card for $30,000, Veres said.
“Since Game 1 of the World Series, that showcase designated to him, and throughout the entire 7-game series, has been completely wiped out and refilled at least four times,” Baghdasarian said. “It’s absolutely crazy the demand for his cards.”
But the store, a destination stop famous for its mosaic-tile accented murals, prides itself in welcoming collectors of all ages and missions. Even Dodgers such as Kike Hernandez, Kyle Tucker, and Jack Dryer have been known to drop by the store. It’s much-photographed murals by artist Alex Ali Gonzalez and mosaic tiles by Joseph & Sons feature a tribute to Kobe Bryant, L.A. and sportcard collecting as well as another commemorating Otani’s 50-50 milestone of hitting his 50th home run and stealing his 50th base.
“We are old-school hobbyists,” Baghdasarian said. “At the end of the day, it’s the loyalists who buy what they love, who will talk about Game 6 and that ground roll double, or Game 7 and Will Smith’s big swing, that will be talked about around by families for years, and to have a token to share and pass down of that moment, that’s important.”