What a series! Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers for winning back-to-back World Series titles after narrowly defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in what will no doubt go down as one of the greatest MLB championships of all time. Game 7 averaged 51 million viewers across the United States, Canada and Japan, making it the highest-watched MLB game in 34 years. Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto won World Series MVP after pitching and winning Games 2, 6 and 7, including the masterful 10th and 11th innings in Game 7 to secure the title.
Entering the series as heavy underdogs, the Blue Jays put up a statement 11-4 win in Game 1, including a whopping nine-run sixth inning. Catcher Alejandro Kirk led the way with three runs, two RBI’s and one home run. Toronto fans took to the streets and social media after this exciting win, but it was short-lived after the Dodgers evened the series in Game 2, led by Yamamoto (nine IP, eight K).
The two teams headed to Los Angeles for Game 3, which resulted in an 18-inning 6.5-hour slugfest—the second longest World Series game of all time. The Dodgers edged the Blue Jays 6-5 with a walk-off home run from Freddie Freeman, making him the first player ever to hit multiple walk-off homers in World Series history. However, this amazing accomplishment was overshadowed by an absolute masterclass performance from superstar Shohei Ohtani. “Shohei’s game,” Freeman said. “I hope we don’t lose sight… our starting pitcher tomorrow got on base nine times tonight. Just incredible.”
Ohtani posted a jaw-dropping stat line: 4/4 Hits/At Bats, two HR, three Runs and three Runs Batted In (RBIs). Ohtani also became the first player to reach base nine times in a postseason game, as well as the first player ever to be intentionally walked four times in a postseason game. The craziest part is that this record breaking game was not even Ohtani’s best game this postseason. In Game 4 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, Ohtani pitched six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts, and on top of that, he went 3/3 H/AB for three home runs—two incredibly difficult record-breaking feats on both sides of the ball- and he did it in one game. Ohtani continues to surprise fans and break records, already cementing himself as one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Despite the Dodgers heavily shifting the momentum, the Blue Jays were able to weather the storm in Game 4, winning 6-2 and cooling off Ohtani’s fire—holding him to zero hits. Superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led the way for the Jays with 2/4 H/AB, two runs, two RBIs and one homer. The Blue Jays flew back to Toronto and capped off Game 5 with a dominant 6-1 win, giving them a commanding 3-2 advantage in the series—one game away from what would have been their first championship since 1993. The Jays held Ohtani to another 0/4 day, and Guerrero Jr. posted another home run in the victory. The light at the end of the tunnel was visible for the Jays, but one obstacle still stood in their way: Yamamoto was set to pitch Game 6.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto stepped up to the mound and delivered, posting six K’s on six IP, as well as only one Earned Run. The Dodgers maintained control over the game, and in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Jays were desperate for a score. Addison Barger stepped up to the plate and hit a line drive missile all the way to the back wall, where the ball would ultimately end up wedged in between the outfield padding and the ground. This evoked the “lodged ball rule,” meaning the play was blown dead and both runners were awarded two bases. Fans initially went crazy, as they believed the play resulted in a game-tying inside the park home run. The Dodgers would take Game 6 3-1, and the stage was set for the first World Series Game 7 since 2019.
The Blue Jays opened Game 7 with a three-run home run in the third inning by Bo Bichette. Tensions were high and emotions were flaring in the fourth inning as Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski hit Blue Jays shortstop Andre Gimenez two times in a row with a pitch, causing the benches to clear. The Jays had a solid lead until Dodgers batter Max Muncy hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, and then Miguel Rojas tied the game at 4-4 in the ninth inning with another solo home run. The Dodgers then made an unprecedented pitching change—bringing in Yamamoto in the bottom of the ninth off of zero days’ rest. They were able to survive bases loaded by the Blue Jays, and the battle was headed to extra innings. In the 11th inning, Dodgers catcher Will Smith hit the game-winning home run to give the Dodgers the 5-4 lead, and shortstop Mookie Betts made an incredible defensive double play to give the Dodgers their second consecutive World Series title.
Both the Dodgers and Blue Jays provided us with some of the most exciting playoff baseball we have ever seen. It is back to the drawing board for the Blue Jays, and the Dodgers will head into the offseason as the champs once again.