In a winner-take-all Game 7 of the World Series, the first one for the Dodgers since the infamous 2017 series, the Dodgers had to rely on all their starting pitching to get the job done. From the start, it seemed the task was insurmountable as Bo Bichette launched a towering three run home run against Shohei Ohtani to put the Blue Jays up by three in the third inning.
Dave Roberts’ leash on Ohtani reached its length after the Bichette home run, and after Justin Wrobleski’s scoreless relief appearance, it was up to another starter, Tyler Glasnow, to try and keep the Dodgers within reach of Toronto. Glasnow let a two run lead slip through his fingers in Game 3 by allowing a go-ahead three run home run to Alejandro Kirk, and couldn’t escape the fifth inning in his lone start of the series. In his second straight relief outing, Glasnow held Toronto in check over his first four outs, but was ambushed by both Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez to begin the bottom of the sixth inning, allowing the Blue Jays to tack on an extra run. Glasnow quickly recovered after the Giménez RBI double, striking out George Springer while recording his final two outs of his outing on just four pitches.
Next in line was Emmet Sheehan, who entered the seventh inning having allowed seven earned runs over 6 1/3 innings in the postseason. Sheehan had a relatively easy inning, outside of a two out single from Kirk, but gave up a leadoff double to Clement that forced Dave Roberts to once again go with a postseason rotation piece. This time it was Blake Snell, who was charged for 10 earned runs in his two starts against Toronto.
Max Muncy came to Snell’s rescue as he speared a ball rifled off the bat of Giménez to keep Clement at second base with one out. Snell went on to strike out Springer and against Davis Schneider, the same hitter who took Snell deep on the first pitch of Game 5, met the same fate as Springer. While the fate of the season rested on the Dodgers’ anemic offense in the top of the ninth, Miguel Rojas connected for the biggest home run of his life, allowing Snell to return to the mound for the bottom half.
After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. narrowly missed having his Joe Carter moment to begin the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Jays began to do what they did best against Snell— rally. A Bichette single and a walk to Addison Barger marked the end of Snell’s night, with the fate of the season reliant upon the newest Dodger reliever of the night, one who had zero days of rest coming off a six inning, 96 pitch performance in Game 6.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto already showed Dave Roberts that he was willing to pitch on no rest, as he warmed up in the Dodger bullpen for a potential 19th inning in Game 3. This time, his efforts were severely needed.
On just two pitches, Yamamoto plunked Kirk to load the bases full, and the Blue Jays needed anything and everything to go their way for them to hoist their first title in 32 years. Yamamoto induced a ground ball from Dalton Varsho to Miguel Rojas, who fired home to narrowly cut down Isaiah Kiner-Falefa at the plate. Ernie Clement looked to have walked off the World Series with a deep fly ball to the left center field gap, but Andy Pages somehow made an improbable catch while colliding with Kiké Hernández, forcing extra innings for the second time in the series.
After the Dodgers failed to capitalize with the bases loaded against Seranthony Domínguez in the top of the 10th inning, Yamamoto kept the Blue Jays silent in the bottom half on 13 pitches. Will Smith’s blast in the 11th gave the Dodgers their first lead all game, but it was up to Yamamoto to bring the series to its finale.
Guerrero got his luck against Yamamoto with a ringing double down the left field line to begin the bottom of the 11th, and a sacrifice bunt from Kiner-Falefa brought the potential tying run just 90 feet away from scoring. A walk to Barger put the World Series winning run on base, and it was up to Kirk, who had reached base in three straight trips, to try to pull off the comeback. On an 0-2 count, Yamamoto placed splitter on the outer third of the plate. Kirk hit it right to Mookie Betts at short, and the now four time champion stepped on the bag for one before firing to Freddie Freeman to complete the Dodgers’ quest of repeating as champions. Yamamoto, who tossed a combined 235 pitches over 17 2/3 innings in a Herculean effort, was rightfully named the World Series MVP.
It took the entire postseason rotation to give the Dodgers a chance at doing something that no team had done in a quarter century. Despite poor starts from Snell and Ohtani throughout the series, their efforts factored into an improbable Game 7 victory despite the lack of run support early in the game against Max Scherzer and company. Last year, the Dodgers relied on an inconsistent three man rotation and a bullpen full of workhorses to get the job done in five games over the New York Yankees. With a fully healthy four man staff full of ace quality arms, they needed every ounce of effort to get the job done against a tenacious Toronto Blue Jays team.
The Dodgers, despite all the challenges they faced in the regular season and the World Series, got the job done. The city of Los Angeles is a city of champions for a second year in a row. The Commissioner’s Trophy remains in its rightful home for another year.
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Dodgers catcher Will Smith hit game-winning home run in Game 7 to win his third World Series in six seasons. Combined with reliever Will Smith that’s 6 in a row
Details of the Dodgers championship parade in downtown Los Angeles and celebration at Dodger Stadium on Monday, November 3.
Dodgers starting lineup for Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Shohei Ohtani will start on the mound for the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series, per multiple reports. Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell also will be available.
Another look at the final double play by Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas to end the Dodgers win in Game 6, setting up a World Series Game 7 in Toronto.
Dodgers starting lineup against the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the World Series, including Tommy Edman in center, Miguel Rojas at second base, and Mookie Betts 4th.
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