The 2025 World Series will be remembered as one of the closest and most nail-biting World Series in history. From complete games to 18-inning games, it truly had it all. Initially, it was portrayed as a mismatch of talent, and many expected the Dodgers to handle the Blue Jays easily. This, however, was far from the truth; the Blue Jays gave the Dodgers a run for their money and fought to the end.
It was a ninth World Series title for the Dodgers, and their third in six years under manager Dave Roberts. Photo: Getty Images.
Game 1
The Dodgers would strike first and carry a 2-run lead into the bottom of the third. Toronto would respond by putting up two runs in the 4th, and 9 in the 6th. They (Toronto) would go on to win the game 11-4.
Game 2
In Game 2, the Dodgers had their ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, on the mound. They took advantage of their ace, who pitched a complete game, holding the Blue Jays to just four hits. The Dodgers scored five runs, 3 of which came from catcher Will Smith, who had a single, a force out, and a solo home run.
Game 3
When the teams headed to Los Angeles for game 3, the series was tied 1-1. The game would turn into two complete games, lasting 18 innings. Blue Jays fans on the East Coast – including those at Northwood – stayed up until about 3 am EST to watch the Dodgers walk it off with a Freddie Freeman solo home run in the bottom of the 18th. The game was an instant classic and tied game 3 of the 2018 World Series between the Dodgers and the Red Sox as the longest World Series game ever.
The game was tied 4-4 in the 5th, and 5-5 in the 7th. The two pitching staffs would then pitch a combined 10 shutout innings. Both teams used virtually every player on the roster. Had the game gone to the 19th inning, the Dodgers had Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who, let’s not forget, pitched a complete game just 2 days before, warming up to come in and pitch. The Dodgers’ leaning on Yamamoto would become a theme in this series. The game was a gut punch to the Blue Jays, who used virtually all their pitchers in a game they ultimately lost.
Freddie Freeman after his walk-off double. Photo by BBC.
Game 4
In game 4, the Blue Jays came to play. You couldn’t tell they had played an 18-inning game just 17 hours ago. The Dodgers scored first in the 2nd, but after that, it was almost all the Blue Jays. In the 3rd inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a 2-run bomb off Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. In the 7th inning, Toronto piled on four more runs with an RBI single from Andrés Giménez, an RBI groundout by Ty France, an RBI single by Bo Bichette, and an RBI single by Addison Barger. Innings like this would become a theme for the Blue Jays. They consistently got big hits from everyone on their roster, allowing them to turn over the lineup and pile on runs. Game 4 would end up as a Blue Jays win, 6-2, but more importantly, the Blue Jays had established themselves as a force. Coming into the series, many reporters were calling it a “David and Goliath” matchup, but the Blue Jays were proving that they were just as good as the Dodgers.
Game 5
Going into game 5, the series was tied 2-2. Whichever team won this game would be one game away from a ring and put the other team in a corner. Right from the start, the Blue Jays took control when on the first pitch of the game, Davis Schnieder hit a home run off of Blake Snell. Schnieder was only in the lineup because of an injury to George Springer. Then, two pitches later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went back-to-back with another solo home run.
Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage is leaving the mound in game 5—photo by MLB.com.
On the mound, the Blue Jays had their future ace in 22-year-old Trey Yesavage. In the 3rd inning, the Dodgers would score their only run of the game off a Kiké Hernández. In the 4th, Ernie Clement hit a sacrifice fly to re-establish the Toronto momentum. In the 7th, Addison Barger hit a single, then advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, then to 3rd on another, and finally home on a 4th wild pitch. Then Bo Bichette hit an RBI single, making it 5-1 Toronto. Yesavage would leave the game with 12 strikeouts in 7 innings. Yesavage tied a World Series record for most strikeouts by a rookie in a World Series game with 12.
Game 6
Game 6 was back in Toronto, and the Blue Jays were one win away from a ring. For the Dodgers, it was a must-win game, and luckily for them, they had their ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound. He would go six complete innings with only five hits and one earned run. That run came off an RBI single by George Spinger, who was put back into the lineup even though he was injured. With every swing, you could hear him scream and see the pain on his face. He battled through and got the only Toronto run in game 6.
In the 3rd inning, the Dodgers scored three runs off a Will Smith RBI double and a Mookie Betts 2-run single. The Blue Jays had chances in both the 7th and 8th innings but could not come through. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch leading off. Myles Straw came in to pinch run for him. Then, perhaps one of the strangest plays you will ever see happened. Addison Barger smoked a ball to the wall, and it managed to wedge itself under the wall. The Dodgers outfielders knew the ground rules perfectly, and as soon as they saw the ball get stuck, they threw up their hands and did not reach for the ball. This signals to the umpire that something is wrong, and the ball is declared dead. The runners are given two bases on the play if it’s a dead ball, meaning that Straw gets to go to 3rd and Barger to 2nd. Had the Dodgers’ outfielders reached to touch the stuck ball, they would have lost the right for it to be a dead ball, and both Straw and Barger would have scored, tying the game with no outs, giving the Blue Jays the chance to walk it off and win the World Series. This showed the depth of the preparation of the Dodgers team and their ability to perform under pressure.
The ball was wedged under the wall—photo by MLB.com.
Then came another play that you don’t see often—a game-ending double play made by outfielder Kiké Hernández. Andrés Giménez hit a ball into left field, but right to Hernández, who threw it to Miguel Rojas to put the tag on Barger at 2nd to end the game.
Game 7
Game 7 is every sports fan and player’s dream. Every baseball player grows up imagining the moment, “bottom of the 9th, game 7 of the World Series, tie game.” Every player wants their team to have a chance to win it all, and they want that chance to be in their hands. Game 7 is the most crucial game of the year. It defines how the team will be remembered. One team will go home World Champions; the other will go home with nothing. Baseball is often described as “the game of tomorrows,” as it has the longest season, and each day is just as important as tomorrow. There is always another game and another chance, except for game 7 of the World Series. There is no tomorrow. Every player leaves everything on the field, and they have the entire offseason to reflect on and scrutinize what they did or did not do.
On the mound, the Blue Jays had postseason veteran Max Scherzer, who pitched Game 7 in the 2019 World Series. The Dodgers had Shohei Ohtani, their superstar pitcher and hitter, on the mound. In the bottom of the 3rd, the Blue Jays would strike first, when Bo Bichette came up to the plate in what could be one of his last at-bats as a Blue Jay. He enters free agency this year after years with the Blue Jays, who drafted him. It was his chance to leave his mark on the fanbase, and leave a mark he did when he launched a 3-run home run to take a 3-0 lead in game 7.
Bo Bichette after his three-run homer in Game 7. Photo by MLB.com.
In the 4th, the Dodgers responded with one run coming off a sacrifice fly by Teoscar Hernández. In the 5th inning, Louis Varland set an all-time postseason record with his 15th postseason appearance on the mound. In the 6th inning, Tommy Edman cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 3-2 with a sacrifice fly. Then, in the bottom of the 6th, Ernie Clement tied the MLB record with his 29th hit of the postseason. He would then steal 2nd base and be driven in by Andrés Giménez’s RBI double.
In the 7th, the Blue Jays turned a clutch double play to get out of a jam and carry their 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th. The Blue Jays just needed six more outs to win a World Series. Then, in the 8th, Max Muncy hit a solo home run to cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 4-3. Then, in the bottom of the 8th, Ernie Clement had his 30th hit of the postseason, taking sole possession of the record.
In the top of the 9th, the Blue Jays were two outs away from victory, when the Dodgers’ 9 hitter Miguel Rojas – who is the worst hitter on the team and hadn’t had a hit in almost a month, excluding the game before – hit a solo home run to tie the game. This is what makes baseball special. Any player has the chance to win it all. All it takes is one swing. The Dodgers, who looked like they were sleeping all game, had just woken up.
In the bottom of the 9th, the Blue Jays got their chance. Due up was Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who came just feet from a World Series-winning home run. Behind him, Bo Bichette hit a single, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa came in to pinch run for Bichette, who has a knee injury. Addison Barger worked a walk, moving the winning run in IKF to 2nd. The Dodgers turn to Yamamoto to come in and try to close out the game. He then hits Kirk, loading the bases with one out. Then, Dalton Varsho hits a slow roller to 2nd base, where Rojas picks it and makes the throw home. If IKF beats the throw home, the Blue Jays win the World Series. If the throw beats IKF, the Dodgers are one out away from getting out of a major jam. The throw beats IKF by an estimated 4 inches, and the game remains tied. Many were quick to criticize IFK for not taking a big lead off 3rd base, but his teammates were quick to defend him, saying that they had to avoid a double play, which would end the inning. I believe that the actual baserunning error occurred when sliding feet-first into home plate. If IKF had either run through the bag or slid headfirst, he would have kept his momentum better and possibly won the World Series. I must admit that it is very easy to look back on it and see what he could have done differently, but it certainly is not his fault.
Ernie Clement came up with bases loaded and two outs, and he smoked a ball to the warning track. Off the bat, it looked like it might be a home run, or that the fielders wouldn’t get there in time. Kiké Hernández tracked the ball down and was running and looking up at it when his teammate, Andy Pages, came out of nowhere, running into him, but importantly making the catch to send the game to extra innings.
Kiké Hernández and Andy Pages are colliding in game 7. Photo by MLB.com.
The Blue Jays got out of a jam in the 10th by getting the lead runner at home, and the game continued into the 11th. Then, Dodgers catcher Will Smith hit a solo home run to make it 5-4 Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto then closed out the game, making it back-to-back titles for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers are quickly establishing themselves as a dynasty. This marks their second consecutive Championship and their 3rd since the start of the 2020s. Yoshinobu Yamamoto won the World Series MVP after his complete game, his relief appearance, his second 1 run start, and, of course, his closure of the series. It was one of the most impressive pitching performances of all time.
Yamamoto with his 2025 World Series MVP trophy. Photo by MLB.com.
For the Blue Jays, this will forever be a tale of “what could have been.” The Blue Jays were fun to watch and played energetic, fun baseball. After the game, it was clear how much the players loved each other. When talking to the media, many cried, and veterans like Max Scherzer said they have never felt a bond and a connection to a team like they did with the 2025 Blue Jays. Hopefully, this is just the start of the Blue Jays’ playoff success, and we get to see them next year.
