The 2025 World Series pitted the defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the rising Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers pulled through with a stunning game seven victory in Toronto, claiming back-to-back titles. A feat unseen in Major League Baseball for 25 years, the repeat victory comes with the emergence of a new dynasty in baseball.
Toronto opened up the series in dominant fashion with an 11-4 victory over Los Angeles. The Jays piled on 9 runs in a crushing sixth inning, putting early pressure on the Dodgers following Game 1.
Game 2 saw LA respond in immaculate fashion as Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete-game, launching the Dodgers to a 5-1 win. Momentum shifted back to Los Angeles as the team prepared for a pivotal shift in the series.
In one of the most memorable games in World Series history, both teams saw an 18-inning marathon that ended in a walk-off home run by last years’ World Series MVP Freddie Freeman. Game three ended in a dramatic 6-5 Dodgers victory lasting beyond 6 hours.
In back to back fashion, the Blue Jays regained control winning both game 4 and game 5. The Blue Jays won Game 4 by a score of 6-2 and Game 5 by a score of 6-1. The Dodgers offense started to slip away as the Blue Jays began showing why they dominated the American League all year long.
Under elimination pressure, the Dodgers answered back in Game 6 with an incredible 3-1 win. Dodgers’ star Kiké Hernández ended the game with a series-changing double play with two men in scoring position. It was not the homerun ball that propelled the Dodgers into a Game 7, it was their defense.
In the deciding game, LA pulled off a dramatic 5-4 win in extra innings. Bo Bichete’s towering 3-run-homerun put the Jays out in front. Eventually falling behind 4-3 in the top of the 9th, on a 3-2 count the 9 hitter Miguel Rojas delivered the biggest hit of his life in the form of a game-tying solo homerun. After squandering bases loaded, the Jays’ fate was eventually sealed by a Will Smith solo homerun in extra innings.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned World Series MVP honors after going 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA across 17 ⅔ innings. He became only the fourth pitcher since 1969 to win 3 games in a single World Series. Yamamoto climbed to the top joining Madison Bumgarner as the most dominant pitcher in World Series history. Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers also made headlines, setting a postseason record by reaching base 9 times in Game 3. He had 2 homers, 2 doubles, and 5 walks.
However, the future is not looking completely sunny going forward. The question about a salary cap being introduced in 2027 leads many fear that a lockout will occur as the Players Union and Major League Baseball may not reach an agreement. The Dodgers seem to have cracked the system historically used by the Yankees: buy every superstar on the market. Will the World Series champion remain to be whoever spends the most money? Or will a small-market team rise above the rest and dethrone the powerhouses? Only time will tell.
