World Series 2025

Los Angeles Dodgers

After 2,430 regular-season and 40 postseason games, the Los Angeles Dodgers have emerged as back-to-back World Series Champions. This World Series will go down as one of the most entertaining of all time. After winning in 2024, the Dodgers entered 2025 as the clear favorite. They started the season red hot, boasting an 8-0 record in their first 8 games. April and May were solid months for the Dodgers as well, ending May with a 36-22 record. June brought heavy matchups, including the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, but they prevailed with their best month of the year with a 17-10 record. Into July, the Dodgers posted their worst month, playing 10-14, and were in need of a boost. Hammered by numerous injuries in their pitching staff, the Dodgers faced serious challenges. But, as we all know, the Dodgers were able to get back on track and end the year with a 93-69 record. 

Blue Jays Come Out of Nowhere

The Dodgers' 2025 World Series opponent, however, had quite an interesting year. The Toronto Blue Jays took key wins against their division rival, the New York Yankees, and were able to cruise into first place of their division. This lead held for weeks until the Yankees were able to catch right back up during their last few games of the season. Since the Blue Jays held the tiebreaker, they triumphed over the Yankees for the automatic advance to the division series. They ended up matching the Yankees in the division series and won the championship series in a close game 7 against the Mariners. The Toronto Blue Jays’ unexpected run shocked fans and players around the league as they hadn’t made it to the World Series in 32 years! 

World Series Recap

Baseball fans around the world knew that this World Series was going to be a battle, and that it was. Game 1 went to the Blue Jays in a surprising blowout with the Dodgers losing 11-4. This passed all the energy towards the Blue Jays as they had just beaten the Dodgers in their home stadium. Game 2 went to the Dodgers, in a 5-1 victory. The key aspect of this game was Yoshinibu Yamamoto's complete game masterpiece. Yamamoto only seemed to improve with the pressure. Game 3 continued in favor of the Dodgers with a 6-5 victory, and may be remembered as one of the greatest World Series games in history, lasting 18 innings. This lengthy game was finally concluded by Freddie Freeman’s 18th inning walk-off homerun, single-handedly waking up the entire city of Los Angeles. Games 4 and 5 were mildly exciting, with the Blue Jays taking both, 6-2 and 6-1. 

Meanwhile, in Toronto, both teams began to prepare for games 6 and 7, with the Blue Jays leading 3-2. Game 6 was a close win for the Dodgers, who were once again carried by a key pitching performance of Yoshinibu Yamamoto, forcing a game 7 for the first time in 6 years. Game 7 was a rollercoaster of 11 innings, which had the most viewership in years. Miguel Rojas, a backup bench bat used for his defense on the Dodgers, ignited the excitement with a tie game home run just two outs from losing. The Blue Jays lost a bases-loaded, one-out scenario when they only needed a single hit, or even a walk, to win. No one scored in the 10th, and Will Smith, catcher for the Dodgers, hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 11th. All they needed were three outs at the bottom to win, but this doesn’t mean the Blue Jays didn’t give them trouble. They had runners on the corners with one out when Alejandro Kirk grounded into a double play, ending the World Series. 

Global Impact

The 2025 World Series achieved viewership never seen before, with people tuning in from Canada and even Japan. Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto kept Japan engaged. Also, the only Canadian MLB team, the Blue Jays, had their entire population invested thanks to the outstanding performance of players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement. Altogether, Game 7 drew over 50 million viewers. Yoshinibu Yamamoto posted a 3-0 record with a 1.02 ERA, allowing just two earned runs over 17.2 innings pitched. For any fan or analyst, those numbers are incredible. This earned him the World Series MVP plaque and cemented his name in MLB history. 

Effects on the Future of the MLB

With the Dodgers winning the World Series back-to-back, there is sure to be a deeper impact on the future of baseball. For the 2027 season, many fans have concerns about a lockout, which is when there is no baseball played. This happens when the players and administrators cannot agree on a Collective Bargaining Agreement for the year. 2025 proved the theory that spending a lot of money can win you more games. The Dodgers are a huge market team with a wild payroll compared to the other teams they faced in the postseason. Many fans and players believe they “bought” their World Series win, fueling calls for a salary cap. If this is not agreed upon in 2027 when the Bargaining Agreement expires, there will be a lockout. The Dodgers are one of the few big-market teams that have been notably better than all the small-market teams. Despite the somewhat unoptimistic future, the 2025 World Series reminded fans why baseball is a beautiful game.