“To beat the champ, you got to knock ‘em out!” said FOX broadcaster Joe Davis as the Los Angeles Dodgers turned a 6-4-3 double play to win the 2025 World Series in 11 innings.
The Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in game seven to become the 14th team in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to win back-to-back World Series titles.
The series came down to the wire, with the Dodgers erasing a 3-2 series deficit by winning both game six and game seven on the road at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Source: Instagram, @mlb
Earlier in the series, game three tied the record for the longest game ever in a world series, taking 18 innings and ending just before three o’clock in the morning on the east coast.
“I watched the entire game, I was shocked that they played two complete games in one,” said sophomore Ed Dunn.
In that game, designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani went 4-4 at the plate with two doubles and two home runs, totaling three runs batted in. He also intentionally walked five straight times, reaching base successfully in nine straight at bats, a new MLB record.
“Ohtani was the best player in this series because of his pitching and hitting. He obviously had one of the all-time great performances in game three, but his presence was always looming,” said Sports Communication and Media Prof. John Barnes.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Dodgers trailed by one run. Miguel Rojas tied the game with his first homerun of the 2025 postseason, sending the game to extra innings.
“Ohtani was on-deck when Rojas hit the game-tying home run in game seven, and I would guess Hoffman threw a pitch over the plate to Rojas because he didn’t want to talk to Rojas before Ohtani. Even when he didn’t impact the game with his bat or his glove, his presence impacted each game,” said Barnes.
Another star of the series was Freddie Freeman, who hit a walk off home run in game three, a deep shot to left center field to seal the game for the Dodgers. This was his second straight World Series hitting a walk off homerun, hitting one in game one last year against the Yankees.
The biggest star of the fall classic was Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who earned MVP honors. Yamamoto became the first pitcher ever to earn three wins in the World Series, getting them in game two, game six and game seven. He is also the fourth pitcher of all time to win both game six and game seven.
“I was not sure if I could pitch tonight until I went to the bullpen, but I’m glad I was able to,” said Yamamoto through an interpreter after pitching in game seven.
Yamamoto pitched 17.2 innings with 15 strikeouts and only allowed two walks across those three performances.
“Obviously being named MVP of the World Series proved his importance on the roster, but I think his most important moment was in game seven to ultimately win the series,” said Dunn.
Will Smith gave Dodgers fans a moment to remember after hitting the game winning home run in the top of the 11th inning.
“A moment that stood out to me was definitely Will Smith’s game seven home run,” said senior Jeff Orticerio.
Will Smith, now a three-time champion, had two home runs in the postseason this year, along with eight runs batted in to add to his elite defensive play behind the plate.
Although losing the series, Toronto had multiple players put up unbelievable numbers and performances, including first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who hit eight home runs and had 15 runs batted in this postseason.
“Vlad is a key part to the Blue Jays roster; he was a class act with both offence and defense and even had a .368 average in the fall classic,” said Dunn.
The Dodgers will try and become the third team ever to win back-to-back-to-back World Series titles next season, with the highest payroll in baseball and more money to spend.
