LOS ANGELES -- Every locker in the Dodgers' clubhouse contained the following items: a gold-trimmed jersey, a gold-brimmed cap and a giftbag.
The apparel was the Dodgers' special uniform for Opening Day, commemorating their back-to-back championships. The bags were a gift from Shohei Ohtani to his teammates. Each contained a watch from Seiko, a high-end Japanese brand, and a note that read, "Let's three-peat."
"That talks a lot about what kind of human he is, not just on the field but off the field," second baseman Miguel Rojas said. "He cares about the community in L.A. I know that watch, we’re going to keep it forever, and we’re going to remember the best player in the world gave us a watch for Opening Day in 2026."
Opening Day is always a special date on the baseball calendar, but Thursday's festivities were heightened by the prospect of what L.A. can accomplish this season. Last year, the Dodgers became the first team in a quarter century to successfully defend their World Series title. This year, they have the opportunity to become only the third Major League franchise -- and the first in National League history -- to win three straight championships.
As they did in last year's repeat bid, the Dodgers are opening the new season with the mindset of being fully focused on the games ahead of them, rather than their previous championship run. There will be some final celebrations this weekend -- they'll raise their championship banner on Thursday night and present the team with their World Series rings on Friday night -- but once that's over, they can officially turn the page on the season that was.
Over the next couple of days, though, the Dodgers will soak in all the pomp and circumstance that comes with being the reigning champions. They'll enjoy playing in front of their home fans for the first time since the World Series and don their golden uniforms with pride.
"I like gold," manager Dave Roberts said with a smile.
While last year's World Series isn't the focal point of Opening Day, the way the Dodgers are lined up is a fitting callback to Game 7 last November. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who recorded the final outs on zero days' rest, is the starting pitcher. Rojas, who hit the game-tying home run that helped send the finale to extra innings, started at second base against D-backs righty Zac Gallen even though he is primarily slated to start against lefties this season.
"I don’t want to have any expectations about how the people are going to react or how the stadium is going to be or how the people are going to support me throughout the year," said Rojas, who will retire after this season and remain with the Dodgers in player development. "I just want to enjoy every single moment."
Even retired legend Clayton Kershaw -- who warmed up but did not make it into Game 7 -- was in attendance at Dodger Stadium for Opening Day, dressed in a suit and tie rather than a Dodgers uniform in his new role as an analyst for NBC.
The Dodgers are aware that their status as back-to-back champions puts a target on their backs, similar to last season. There's a lot of noise surrounding everything they're doing, but just like last year, they're blocking out the external buzz and focusing on one another.
"I think the biggest thing that we talked about is last year has nothing to do with this year," general manager Brandon Gomes said, "just like it had nothing to do with the year before last year. … We know there's a lot of different ways to [win a championship]. But I think it's having the belief in each other that no matter who we play, we feel like we're going to come out on top.”