A Ring Long Overdue: The Red Sox Pitcher Who Closed Out the Dodgers’ World Series Win Will Finally Receive His Championship Ring at Fenway
By [Your Name]
On a crisp October night in 2020, under the bright lights of Globe Life Field in Arlington, a pitcher stood on the mound, staring down the final outs of a World Series that had eluded the Los Angeles Dodgers for 32 years. Every pitch carried the weight of decades of heartbreak, near-misses, and what-ifs that had haunted one of baseball’s most storied franchises.
When the final strikeout was recorded, and gloves flew into the air, the Dodgers were champions once again, and the man on the mound, who had just closed out the World Series, became part of Los Angeles baseball history.
This weekend, in a twist only baseball can script, that same pitcher will receive his championship ring while wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform, standing on the Fenway Park grass, in front of a sea of fans who once saw him as a rival, now embracing him as one of their own.
A Pandemic Title and a Missing Ring
The 2020 MLB season was unlike any other. Shortened by the pandemic, played in empty stadiums with artificial crowd noise, the Dodgers navigated protocols and uncertainty to claim their title. For the players, the celebration was real, but many rituals, including in-person ring ceremonies, were delayed or altered.
For this pitcher, who was traded and moved on before the ceremonies could happen, the ring never made it onto his finger during a packed home crowd celebration. There were Zoom calls and private mail deliveries, but no moment under the lights, no moment in front of the people who matter most: the fans.
Baseball, in its unique way, has found a moment to right that.
The Journey to Boston
After the Dodgers’ championship run, the pitcher signed with the Boston Red Sox, bringing with him the experience of closing out a World Series and the steady presence of a player who had performed on the biggest stage under the brightest lights.
For Red Sox fans, it was an odd but welcome addition—a player they had once watched dominate in Dodger Blue now taking the mound at Fenway, now fist-pumping after strikeouts in a Red Sox uniform.
And while Boston has its own championship pedigree, the presence of a recent World Series closer in the bullpen adds a sense of credibility and calm to a team looking to return to October glory.
A Moment Years in the Making
This weekend, the Dodgers will be in town for a series against the Red Sox, and in a pregame ceremony that will blend gratitude and nostalgia, the pitcher will finally receive his 2020 World Series ring on the field.
There will be a video tribute, likely highlighting the final outs of that World Series Game 6, the fist pumps, the embrace with catcher Will Smith, and the dogpile near the mound. The Fenway crowd will watch, many with mixed emotions, as they applaud an opponent who has become a member of their baseball family.
It will be a moment that transcends the rivalry between Boston and Los Angeles, a reminder that the game is bigger than laundry, that championships are bigger than the cities that claim them, and that every player who contributes to a title deserves their moment in the sun.
The Weight of a Ring
For players, the championship ring is not just jewelry. It is a symbol of a season’s worth of sacrifice, hours spent in bullpens and batting cages, long travel days, and the mental grind of competing at the highest level. It represents the climb, the struggle, and the final moment when it all came together.
For this pitcher, receiving the ring at Fenway Park will be a reminder of the journey. From the first bullpen sessions of that 2020 season, when the world felt uncertain, to the final out in Arlington, to now pitching under the iconic Green Monster, it will be a moment that ties together chapters of a career in a single, powerful instant.
A Unique Celebration for Fans
For Red Sox fans, this weekend offers something rare: the chance to witness a moment of baseball history that connects franchises, cities, and eras.
There will be cheers from Dodgers fans who make the trip, and there will be cheers from Red Sox fans who understand what it means to win a championship. In that moment, the game’s rivalries will pause, if only for a few minutes, to honor the game itself.
A Reminder of Why We Love the Game
Baseball is filled with small moments that remind us why we care. A pitcher receiving his ring years later, in a different uniform, on a different coast, is one of those moments.
It’s a reminder that the game is about more than wins and losses; it’s about the people who play it, the journeys they take, and the communities that rally around them.
This weekend, as the Red Sox prepare to face the Dodgers, keep an eye on the pregame ceremony. Watch the pitcher slip the ring onto his finger, watch the smile, watch the crowd’s reaction. It will be a moment worth remembering, one that bridges the gap between past and present, between rivals and teammates, between victory and the everyday grind of the sport.
Because in baseball, as in life, some moments are worth the wait.