Will Smith’s 11th-Inning Home Run Lifts Dodgers to 2025 World Series Title
Toronto and Los Angeles delivered a World Series classic that went 11 innings at Rogers Centre, but the Dodgers emerged with a 5-4 win to claim their second straight championship. Will Smith’s go-ahead homer in the 11th sealed it, while Yoshinobu “Yoshi” Yamamoto earned World Series MVP honors after a sparkling postseason run. Toronto’s season ends in heartbreak, but the city will look ahead to February and a fresh start at Spring Training.
TORONTO — The Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series champions for the second straight year, sealing the title with a 5 to 4 extra-inning win over the Toronto Blue Jays in a dramatic Game 7 at Rogers Centre on Saturday night. Will Smith delivered the decisive swing, launching a solo home run in the top of the 11th inning to quiet a raucous Toronto crowd and secure the Dodgers’ third championship since 2020.
Los Angeles captured the series 4 to 3, becoming the first team to repeat as champions since the 1998 to 2000 Yankees dynasty. The Dodgers also claimed the World Series crown in 2020, and now again in 2024 and 2025, further solidifying their status as the premier powerhouse of this era.
Smith’s Heroics Seal It
With the score tied 4 to 4 in extra innings, Smith turned on a pitch from Shane Bieber and sent it over the left-field wall for his second home run of the postseason. The Dodgers’ catcher finished the night with two hits and two runs scored, adding another big moment to what has been a standout October career.
Toronto threatened in the bottom of the 11th, putting the tying run on third, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto slammed the door. The Dodgers ace entered in the ninth and recorded the final nine outs of the season, showcasing the same composure that defined his dominant postseason.
Yoshinobo Yamamoto Named World Series MVP
Yamamoto was named World Series MVP after a brilliant playoff run that exceeded even the high expectations placed on the prized international signing. The right-hander finished the postseason with a 5 and 1 record and a sparkling 1.45 ERA, striking out 33 batters across 37 and one third innings. His Game 6 gem forced the decisive Game 7, and his clutch relief performance on Monday completed a remarkable October.
Jays’ Missed Opportunities Prove Costly
For the Blue Jays, the loss ends what had been a storybook postseason run. Toronto led 3 to 0 early after a three-run home run from Bo Bichette in the third inning electrified the home crowd. Andrés Giménez added an RBI double in the sixth to make it 4 to 2.
But missed chances loomed large. Toronto left fourteen runners on base, including a bases-loaded opportunity in the ninth that they failed to convert. The Blue Jays had the winning run at third again in the 11th, but a double play ended their postseason.
Max Scherzer gave Toronto four and one third innings in the start, followed by strong relief outings from Louis Varland and Chris Bassitt before the late Dodgers rally.
Dodgers’ Core Delivers Again
This Dodgers title comes on the back of star power and depth. Yoshinobo Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Will Smith all produced at times during the series, while the bullpen and defense delivered in the biggest moments.
The victory caps a dominant two-year stretch for Los Angeles, who lifted the trophy at Yankee Stadium last fall and now celebrate on Canadian soil. The Dodgers now turn their attention to pursuit of a potential three-peat, a feat not achieved in 25 years.
What’s Next
For the Blue Jays, the wait for a third championship continues. The club will head into a pivotal offseason looking to build on a roster that came within three outs of a title. Spring Training opens in February in Florida, where Toronto will regroup and aim to return to the Fall Classic.
With the baseball season now concluded, the sports spotlight in Canada shifts to hockey. Stay tuned for continued coverage of the NHL, AHL and more.
Dodgers Force Game 7 After 3–1 Win in Toronto: Blue Jays Turn to Scherzer for World Series Decider
The Blue Jays missed their chance to clinch at home in Game 6, falling 3 to 1 to the Dodgers at Rogers Centre. Toronto left eight runners stranded and could not cash in on key opportunities despite another strong outing from Kevin Gausman, who struck out eight over six innings. With the series now tied, everything comes down to a winner take all Game 7 tonight in Toronto at 8 pm ET.
TORONTO — The 2025 World Series is headed to a winner-take-all Game 7.
The Los Angeles Dodgers held off the Toronto Blue Jays 3–1 in Game 6 at Rogers Centre on Thursday night, forcing a decisive finale for the championship. Toronto finds itself one win away from its first World Series title in 32 years for the second time in as many nights, while Los Angeles has a chance to complete a comeback and claim the World Series title for the second year in a row.
The difference in Game 6 came down to one inning and one pitching performance.
Los Angeles struck for all three of its runs in the third, capitalizing on a brief window of opportunity against Toronto starter Kevin Gausman. Tommy Edman doubled to start the rally, Will Smith followed with an RBI double, Freddie Freeman drew a walk, and Mookie Betts delivered a two-run single to left. It was all the offense the Dodgers would need.
Toronto responded in the bottom half with an Addison Barger double and a George Springer RBI single, but missed additional chances throughout the night. The Blue Jays left eight runners on base, including a momentum-shifting opportunity in the sixth when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled and Bo Bichette walked, only for Yoshinobu Yamamoto to pitch out of the threat.
Yamamoto was exceptional once again going 6 strong. The Dodgers’ right-hander improved to 4–1 with a 1.56 ERA this postseason, allowing one run and scattering five hits while striking out six. If Los Angeles captures the title tonight, the 27-year-old is firmly in the World Series MVP conversation.
Gausman exited after six innings in what will be his final start of the season, finishing with eight strikeouts, three hits and three earned runs allowed. Toronto’s bullpen kept the game within reach, but the lineup couldn’t generate the late burst that powered its comeback in Game 5.
One moment Blue Jays fans will debate through the winter came in the ninth: an Addison Barger blast to left-center that got lodged where the wall meets the turf for a ground-rule double, preventing what likely would have been a game-tying inside-the-park home run. Toronto ultimately stranded the tying run at second as the championship winning run came to the plate.
With the series now even at 3–3, everything comes down to Game 7, set for 8 PM ET tonight at Rogers Centre.
Max Scherzer is expected to start for Toronto, taking the ball in the biggest outing of his Blue Jays tenure. The Dodgers have not yet named a starter as of Friday morning. Both bullpens are expected to be on high alert, with managers prepared to use every arm necessary in pursuit of a title.
Will we see Los Angeles claim back to back Worle Series titles? Or will Toronto take their first championship 32 years?
Coverage continues from Toronto.
Blue Jays even World Series 2–2 with 6–2 win at Dodger Stadium ahead of pivotal Game 5
Toronto evens the World Series at two games apiece with a 6–2 result at Dodger Stadium. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his seventh career postseason home run to flip the score, and a four-run seventh inning broke it open and sent Shohei Ohtani off the mound. Chris Bassitt handled the late innings and Louis Varland closed it down. Game 5 is tonight in Los Angeles before the series shifts to Toronto.
LOS ANGELES -- Toronto has evened the World Series at two games apiece with a 6–2 win at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, but Toronto answered in the third when Nathan Lukes singled and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed with a two-run home run to left-center off Shohei Ohtani. It was Guerrero’s seventh career postseason home run, the most in Blue Jays history.
The turning point arrived in the seventh inning. Daulton Varsho singled to right, Ernie Clement doubled to center, and Andrés Giménez drove in a run with a single to left. Ty France grounded out to bring home another run before Bo Bichette and Addison Barger added back-to-back RBI singles to extend the lead to 6–1 and end Ohtani’s outing.
Toronto’s bullpen closed it out cleanly. Chris Bassitt worked two innings in relief, striking out two and allowing one hit with no runs against. In the ninth, Teoscar Hernández walked and Max Muncy doubled to set up a late push. Tommy Edman grounded out to bring one run across, but Enrique Hernández struck out and Alex Call lined out to left to end it.
With the series now level, attention turns to Game 5 tonight in Los Angeles, the final stop before the series shifts to Toronto for Game 6 and, if necessary, Game 7. The scheduled pitching matchup features Yesavage for Toronto against Blake Snell for Los Angeles. Yesavage enters at 2–1 with a 4.26 ERA and 27 strikeouts this postseason, while Snell brings a 3–1 record with a 2.42 ERA and 32 strikeouts.
Toronto will be looking to its balanced offense to continue producing throughout the order after generating scoring from multiple spots in Game 4. Los Angeles will rely on Snell to stabilize the matchup at home before traveling to a hostile environment in Toronto, where road wins are historically harder to secure.
The stakes are direct. The winner of tonight’s meeting will fly to Canada with two chances to clinch a World Series title. The loser will enter Rogers Centre needing to win twice in a building that will not favor visiting teams. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific.