On a late Saturday night on November 1, 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series, becoming the first MLB team to win consecutive championships since 2000. The final out, recorded by a double play from Dodgers’ shortstop Mookie Betts, marked the end of one of the more memorable World Series in recent memory. From Freddie Freeman’s Game 3 walk-off home run in the 18th inning to Addison Barger’s game one pinch hit grand slam, this series truly had everything, keeping both avid fans and first-time watchers sweating in anticipation.
Following a big Game 5 win in LA, the Blue Jays returned to Toronto, hoping to close it out in an important Game 6. However, the Dodgers’ pitching staff found a way to limit the Blue Jays’ hot lineup, stifling them to just one run.
Both teams, winners of their respective divisions in the regular season with over 90+ wins, sported two of the deadliest lineups in the game, with seven combined MVP winners. The teams’ deep rosters and scrappy playoff performances made Game 7 almost inevitable. This win-or-go-home finale was played at the Blue Jays’ home field, Rogers Centre, in front of a sold-out crowd that eagerly awaited the celebration of a title for the first time since 1993.
Early in the game, the Blue Jays took a 3-0 lead, thanks to shortstop Bo Bichette’s three-run home run off Dodgers’ star Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers were able to claw their way back, but still trailed by one run going into the 9th inning. Blue Jays fans could almost taste victory, as the stadium roar grew louder with each out. But this series, already full of surprises, gave the biggest one yet in the bottom of the ninth inning. In stepped 36-year-old veteran Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers’ backup second baseman who hadn’t had a hit in a full month. On a 3-2 count in the top of the 9th, Rojas drilled a game-tying home run to left field, absolutely stunning both the Blue Jays and their fans.
The Blue Jays were able to make it out of the inning, and even rallied in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases off Dodgers ace Blake Snell. Again, the fans could feel it, with the winning run only 90 feet away on 3rd base.
But Dodgers’ longtime manager Dave Roberts made a bold decision, calling in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the electric Japanese flamethrower. Yamamoto, who had thrown seven excellent innings the night before, was pitching on less than a day’s rest, something extremely unprecedented for a starting pitcher.
However, Yamamoto rose to the occasion, getting out of the jam with the assistance of a fantastic play by centerfielder Andy Pages. With the help of a home run from Dodgers catcher Will Smith at the top of the 11th, Yamamoto sealed himself in World Series lore for years to come, forcing a double play to crown the Dodgers 2025 World Series champions. Yamamoto was awarded a well-deserved World Series MVP, and the Dodgers, whose execution had been challenged and questioned all year, delivered, establishing their team as a budding dynasty for years to come.
