The video of outfielder Justin Dean raising both hands to the sky went viral on social media back in the fall, and now that gesture is permanently etched onto his body. The former Los Angeles Dodgers player, who became one of the heroes of the 2025 World Series, got a tattoo of that very viral moment from the sixth game of the playoffs.
The situation was on the edge back then. The Dodgers were leading 3:1 in the ninth inning, playing away, and facing the risk of elimination from the series. Roki Sasaki — one of the team’s key pitchers in high-pressure situations — took the mound, but the plan didn’t go as expected. Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch and took first base, and Addison Barger stepped up to bat. He hit a ball into the gap between left and center, the ball hit the wall, and Dean, unable to contain his emotions, raised his hands. A ground-rule double put runners on second and third, and after a pop-out and a brilliant double play executed by left fielder Kiké Hernández and infielder Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers snatched the victory and forced a seventh game, which they also won.
What exactly Dean put on his skin
During the session, he got several elements, but the main ones were the World Series ring and the trophy placed on his lower leg. The artist also created a composition in the style of the MLB logo: instead of the usual silhouette of a batter, Dean himself with his hands raised appeared in the center. This technique — replacing a brand mark with a personal gesture — has long been popular in the tattoo community and turns standard sports memorabilia into a self-portrait of an emotion.
Why this is a tattoo culture trend
Several steady shifts are visible here. First, athletes are increasingly tattooing not just dry achievements — trophies, dates, numbers — but the very moment in which they were alive: a gesture, a look, a fall. The tattoo becomes not an award, but a memory capsule. Second, the virality of the frame itself has become part of the story: Dean captured not just a “victory,” but a gesture recognized by millions. Third, sports tattoo culture has long moved away from pathos toward irony and self-irony — the raised hands are read both as a triumph and as “well, that’s it, I couldn’t take it anymore,” and it is this duality that makes the work feel alive.
Where Dean is now
After the 2025 season, the Dodgers placed him on waivers, effectively ending his time with the team. The player didn’t hold a grudge and thanked the fans on Instagram: “Thank you LA for changing my life!”. The San Francisco Giants claimed him off waivers but didn’t keep him for long — they designated him for assignment, and Dean moved to the Chicago Cubs. There, he played 17 games, collected three hits in eight at-bats, and drove in three RBIs. But his contribution to the Dodgers’ back-to-back World Series win, like the tattoo of his raised hands, will stay with him for a long time.