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.
Blue Jays vs Dodgers Game 4 Preview: Bieber vs Ohtani After 18-Inning Epic in LA
Eighteen innings in Los Angeles produced a Game 3 that will be remembered for its length and for the swings that kept it alive — Teoscar Hernández and Shohei Ohtani struck early, Alejandro Kirk answered with a three-run homer, Ohtani tied it again late, and Freddie Freeman finally ended it in the 18th. Now the series shifts instantly to Game 4, where Shane Bieber starts for Toronto and Shohei Ohtani takes the ball for the Dodgers with a chance to move L.A. within one win of back to back championships.
LOS ANGELES — Eighteen innings in Los Angeles produced one of the longest games in World Series history and gave the Dodgers a 2–1 series lead. Game 3 featured early home runs from Teoscar Hernández and Shohei Ohtani, a three-run shot from Alejandro Kirk that flipped the score in the fourth, a late home run from Ohtani to bring it even again, and a Freddie Freeman walk-off in the 18th to end the night.
Less than twenty-four hours later, Game 4 arrives with no time for either side to decompress. Toronto turns to Shane Bieber, who is tasked with preventing Los Angeles from moving within one win of securing back to back World Series titles. Bieber enters with the responsibility of stabilizing a staff that was used deep into extra innings.
Shohei Ohtani starts for the Dodgers after reaching base nine times in Game 3 and hitting two home runs. His performance on Tuesday placed him alone in postseason history with three multi-home-run games in a single October. Now he has the chance to influence the series a second way from the mound.
The stakes are direct. A Dodgers win would put Los Angeles one victory from closing out the championship at Chavez Ravine. A Blue Jays win would reset the series at 2–2 and give Toronto the opportunity to attempt a 3–2 lead in Game 5 before flying back to Rogers Centre for the potential finish.
The margin between control and pressure swings again tonight. Bieber will attempt to pull Toronto back even. Ohtani will attempt to push Los Angeles to the edge of a repeat. Game 4 opens at 5 p.m. Pacific.