Sport 7: LA Dodgers 5–4 Toronto Blue Jays
Will Smith’s Eleventh-inning house run proves decisive
Dodgers turns into first repeat champion since 2000
As it happened: Bryan Graham’s inning-by-inning report
The Los Angeles Dodgers received their second consecutive title in beautiful style within the early hours of Sunday morning, depriving the Toronto Blue Jays of a primary World Collection in 32 years in a stomach-churning, epic Sport 7. Will Smith’s solo house run with two outs on the high of the Eleventh inning off Shane Bieber gave LA a 5-4 lead earlier than Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitching in reduction only a day after throwing 96 pitches, obtained Alejandro Kirk to floor out right into a World Collection-ending double play, bringing a ninth title to the Dodgers group.
“Man, they’re a particular group of men,” Smith stated after the sport. “We simply by no means gave up, stored preventing, pitching our asses off, hitting, taking nice at-bats. Lastly punched via there. Man, that was a battle for seven video games. That’s a extremely good Toronto Blue Jays workforce. I’m simply excited. There’s nothing higher than this.”
Schedule
Finest-of-seven collection
Fri 24 Oct Sport 1: Toronto Blue Jays 11, LA Dodgers 4
Sat 25 Oct Sport 2: LA Dodgers 5, Toronto Blue Jays 1
Mon 27 Oct Sport 3: LA Dodgers 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5 (18 innings)
Tue 28 Oct Sport 4: Toronto Blue Jays 6, LA Dodgers 2
Wed 29 Oct Sport 5: Toronto Blue Jays 6, LA Dodgers 1
Fri 31 Oct Sport 6: LA Dodgers 3, Toronto Blue Jays 1
Sat 1 Nov Sport 7: LA Dodgers 5, Toronto Blue Jays 4 (11 innings)
Tips on how to watch
• Within the US, all video games will likely be broadcast on FOX. When you’ve got a cable/satellite tv for pc subscription with FOX included, you can too stream through the FOX Sports activities app.
• In Canada, the English-language broadcast is on Sportsnet whereas the French-language broadcasts are on RDS and TVA Sports activities. The video games are additionally streaming on Sportsnet+ (English-language).
• Within the UK, the official broadcaster is TNT Sports activities. A subscription to their service or their app is required.
• In Australia, the rightsholder is the native department of ESPN Australia and associated platforms.
The Dodgers, heavy favorites to win the Fall Traditional towards the underdog Jays, received by the pores and skin of their enamel. Their victory got here regardless of their anemic offense, which generated eight fewer runs than Toronto throughout the collection, and was arguably saved by one man: Yamamoto. So the $400m Dodgers get what they got here for, one more World Series title, one that may go away followers north of the US-Canada border questioning what might have been. They are going to consider – maybe accurately – that via seven video games, the Jays have been the higher workforce.
Toronto have been simply two outs from glory, making certain this defeat is all of the extra excruciating. The start of the Jays’ finish started within the ninth inning, a body which introduced baseball followers one of the vital extraordinary sequences of occasions in current World Collection reminiscence.
With Toronto main 4-3, Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers’ No 9 hitter, blasted a game-tying house run off Blue Jays nearer Jeff Hoffman to tie the rating at 4-4. It was a solo shot that ripped the soul out of the house followers in Toronto.
“I used to be by no means making an attempt to hit a house run,” stated Rojas. “I believe that is the primary house run towards a right-handed pitcher throughout the entire yr and it got here within the greatest a part of my life and my profession … I can’t actually describe proper now the feelings that I really feel.”
Nonetheless, there was hope.
Within the backside of the inning, Yamamoto hit Alejandro Kirk to load the bases with one out. Then Rojas returned for an additional closeup, scooping up a Daulton Varsho grounder, throwing it house and barely forcing out Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the plate. The play was so shut it was reviewed, and the Blue Jays got here inside a whisker of profitable the World Collection on an overturned name. Nevertheless, the choice was upheld and the Dodgers lived on.
On the very subsequent play, Ernie Clement hit a ball to deep left-field the place Andy Pages made a circus catch whereas colliding with teammate Kiké Hernandez. With Jays followers gasping for air, the 2025 season headed into further innings.
“[Yamamoto] was the MVP of this collection. That was unimaginable. I talked to him yesterday. I used to be like, ‘Hey, in the event you may give us one, we’re going to win.’ He gave us three. That was particular,” stated Smith. “He’ll have just a few months off. I do know he’s going to want it, however yeah, I’m simply completely satisfied for him. That was superior.”
Toronto’s loss ends a dream season on the bottom of notes. A yr after the annoyed Jays fan base demanded front-office change, they made it to the Eleventh inning of the World Collection with out Shohei Ohtani, who they closely courted after the 2023 season earlier than he joined the Dodgers. And with out Rōki Sasaki, who in addition they did every part to signal final winter earlier than he too signed for the Dodgers. They rode the April momentum of re-signing star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr to a long-term deal, all the best way into October, when a 22-year-old hurler with nearly no massive league expertise, Trey Yesavage, energized their postseason run.
However it wasn’t sufficient to unseat the majestic Dodgers and the collection MVP, Yamamoto, whose supervisor proclaimed the pitcher “The Goat” within the postgame celebrations.
LA have been down 3-0 within the third after Bo Bichette’s three-run blast off Ohtani compelled the two-way grasp, who had a quiet night time, right into a uncommon stroll of disgrace to the dugout.
The Dodgers seemed to rebound within the fourth, when the 41-year-old Max Scherzer, rock stable via three innings, gave up a double to Smith, a single to Freddie Freeman, and walked Max Muncy, loading the bases. Teoscar Hernández, loaded with a bat stuffed with October magic, hit a sinking line drive to heart, however Varsho made a sliding catch that prevented a doable bases-clearing hit and held the Dodgers to a single run. Then Guerrero made a diving catch off a Tommy Edman line drive to retire the aspect. The Jays protection had rescued Scherzer, and the long run Corridor of Famer had completed 4 innings, permitting only a single run.
A contentious backside of the fifth noticed Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski brush again Andrés Giménez earlier than hitting him within the wrist. The shortstop took challenge and the benches cleared, bringing non permanent venom to the night. Giménez would actual revenge within the sixth inning with an RBI double off Tyler Glasnow, placing Toronto up 4-2.
Muncy narrowed Toronto’s lead with a solo eighth inning house run off Yesavage, who was pitching in reduction off the again of 17 strikeouts in 11 innings as a starter. That introduced LA inside a run earlier than Rojas’s house run evened the rating.
Three typical starters – Yamamoto, Glasnow and Blake Snell – emerged from the Dodgers bullpen to carry Toronto to a single run after the third inning, permitting LA to maintain the Jays of their sights. In the end, it was the Jays’ incapacity to interrupt LA’s relievers on the night time – they have been simply 3 for 17 with runners in scoring place – which led to their doom.
Now the Dodgers head again to the US with the primary back-to-back titles MLB has seen because the New York Yankees received three straight from 1998 via 2000, needing only one extra ring for the true dynasty.
