Unless you were on a remote island with no Internet access or somewhere like that, you could not have missed the end of the 2025 World Series between the defending champion and reigning National League kings, the Los Angeles Dodgers and their American League counterparts, the Toronto Blue Jays. Because those who gave the Series the nickname “The Fall Classic,” meant it for this particular set.
The seven games were as riveting as I have ever seen a World Series. And my first one was in 1957, watching the New York Yankees lose to Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock, Lew Burdette and Warren Spahn and the rest of the Milwaukee Braves. (History lesson: the Braves abandoned Wisconsin after the 1965 season for the greener pastures of Atlanta, where the team is now in its third ballpark in 50 years; meanwhile, the Brewers were born in 1970 from the remnants of the Seattle Pilots—who lasted one season in the Pacific Northwest— and have played in two stadiums while members of both the American and National Leagues)
I have seen most every notable play in World Series lore. Ron Swoboda’s catch in 1969 for the Miracle New York Mets. Bill Buckner booting the ball at Shea Stadium in Game 6 of the Red Sox, giving the Mets a most improbable win. On my 36th birthday. Or the Chicago Cubs finally breaking the curse and downing Cleveland in 2016.
You want home runs? Joe Carter’s walk off homer in 1993 gave the Blue Jays the title. Kirk Gibson limping around the bases after his clutch homer for the Dodgers. Bill Mazeroski’s winner in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series to give the Pittsburgh Pirates the crown although the Yankees out hit and out scored the Bucs overall.
Yankees moments? They are aplenty, courtesy of the dynasties in the 1950’s-60’s, 1970’s, 1990’s-2000’s and the most recent win in 2009, which seems like eons ago for the spoiled NYY fans.
I can see Bobby Richardson squeezing Hall of Famer Willie Mc Covey’s shot to the second baseman to secure the win for the Bombers over San Francisco. How about Mickey Mantle’s titanic blast into the Yankee Stadium upper deck to cement a win versus St. Louis? Could it be Reggie Jackson, “Mr. October,” and his three home run night against LAD? Or the highlights from Derek Jeter, which included a lead off home run at Shea Stadium in The Subway Series?
I can go on and on about the Yankees exploits and what I have watched on TV. I made it to the 1971 World Series in Baltimore to see the Orioles defeat the Pirates. What I remember most is the late Roberto Clemente unleashing a monster throw from the warning track in right field at Memorial Stadium, on a line and on the fly to third base.
This is what made the World Series compelling to me. The drama. The excitement. The glory.
But as much as any one World Series before 2025 may have been must-see-TV, this year’s edition outdid every other one—by far. And nobody expects this to happen.
Sure, the Dodgers were the favorites. Besides being the defending champs, they buzz-sawed through the National League playoffs and seemed poised to do the same to Toronto. Especially since the Blue Jays endured two brutally tough series against the Yankees and Seattle Mariners, the latter going to seven games.
Except that no one sent the memo to the Toronto team. In fact, they sent a huge opening salvo to LAD in the form of a major beat down of ace Blake Snell and emerging with a 11-2 victory in Game 1 in Toronto.
Never count out the champion, who knows what it takes to win the title. LAD rebounded in Game 2 to tie the series at 1. Remember these Dodges’ names—pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his battery mate, catcher Will Smith. Yamamoto shut down the Jays with a complete game four-hitter and Seth blasted a three run homer in support of his pitcher.
Home field had shifted in favor of the Dodgers. Many thought that the Blue Jays might fold under the pressure.
Then there was Game 3. Which morphed into a doubleheader by the time it was over. I gave up in the eighth inning, with the score tied at 5, courtesy of a Shohei Ohtnai home run.
That would be the last run scored until Freddie Freeman, the first baseman with the knack for game-winning blasts, ended the marathon with a home run. This was an epic game, where both managers literally emptied their lineup and used 19 pitchers until Freeman mercifully ended the contest.
Was this a killer game for the Blue Jays? Especially when they were facing Ohtani on the mound in Game 4? Would they not be up for the task at hand?
Less than nine innings later, we saw the series knotted up at 2. The Blue Jays were alert and hungry. LAD was roasted from the night before. Ohtani pitched admirably for 6 innings given the fact he had played 18 innings the night before. Vlad Guerrero, Jr. continued his impressive play for Toronto, with almost all of the lineup contributing in an eleven hit attack.
Phenom Trey Yesavage. He was the Toronto pitcher in Game 5. He began the year in the lowest minor league and now he was unstoppable. The Blue Jays hopped on Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell early with home runs from Davis Schneider and Guerrero en route to a 6-2 win.
The series was headed back to Canada and it seemed like Toronto was in control. The Jays needed one win to record their first title since 1993.
That’s where things started to unravel for the Jays. Remember that guy Yamamoto? Well, he pitched another gem, this time for six innings and the Dodgers relief corps held off repeated Toronto assaults.
Yet it came down to one play. LAD skipper Dave Roberts rolled the dice and inserted top starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow into a situation where one hit could have changed the outcome and given the Jays game, set and match.
With three pitches, LAD survived. First, Glasnow retired Ernie Clement on a pop up; Clement was hitting lights out and would go on to set a record with over 30 base hits in one playoff.
Up next was shortstop Andres Giminez. On the second pitch he saw, Giminez stroked a liner to left field. Playing little shallower than normal, Dodgers left fielder Kike Hernandez raced in, caught the ball and fired it on the run to second base, where Miguel Rojas, inserted into the lineup for more punch at second base, speared the on target throw and acrobatically completed a force out of Addison Barger, who had strayed just a bit too much thinking Giminez’s hit would land in the playing field and he would score the Series-ending run. Barger’s double was wedged under the padding in left-center field, depriving the Jays of more runs and maybe putting him on third base.
With the luck that the Dodgers had on Friday night, it was inevitable that these two teams would go to the maximum to decide who would be the champ. Ohtani would face certain Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherezer to begin what would prove to be an epic game.
Ohtani was nearly mortal, surrendering 3 runs in only 2.1 innings. Toronto forged ahead 3-0 on a Bo Bichette home run. After Will Smith doubled, he eventually scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Teoscar Hernandez.
Another sacrifice fly, this time from the bat of Tommy Edman, scored Mookie Betts in the top of the sixth inning. LAD now trailed by one, 3-2. In the bottom half of the inning, Clement singled, stole second and scored on a Giminez double. 4-2 Toronto.
Yesavage came in to save the day for the Jays. He made it through the seventh inning okay, but in the eighth he surrendered a home run to LAD’s Max Muncy, cutting the lead again to one.
Blake Snell came in to pitch the eighth inning, surviving a Cement double. On to the ninth inning with the crowd full of anticipation.
That was until with one out and full count, Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman left a full count pitch over the plate and Rojas swatted the ball out of the park. Tie score.
Roberts put Andy Pages into the game for more defense in center field with one out and the bases loaded. Clement lifted a shot to left center field and left fielder Kike Hernandez sped towards the ball. Pages, covering an amazing 121 feet of ground in an all-out sprint crashed into the smaller Hernandez and made the game-saving catch.
That was after Rojas, plans in, stabbed a ground ball, righted himself and threw to home plate to nail Isaiah Kiner-Falefa by inches, confirmed by replay which showed catcher Smith’s foot leaving home pate before returning just in the nick of time. This was the second consecutive night Rojas saved the LAD season.
The Dodgers threatened in the 10th inning with some slick defense. Roberts, desperate for the win, summoned Yamamoto to pitch the bottom of the tenth. Which he did, keeping Toronto at bay.
LAD catcher Smith dramatically hit a game-winning home run in the top of the 11th inning off of Toronto starter-turned-reliever Shane Bieber. Which led to a heart-stopping double play started by Betts to end the World Series.
Maybe the greatest game ever played to decide the World Series did just that. Nobody left anything out on the field. Both teams were equal rivals. Sure, Toronto out hit the Dodgers, whose cumulative batting average was near .200. Yet LAD had emotion, talent and luck on their side. Which was enough for them to emerge as the winner of this epic struggle.
Yamamoto, having thrown over 130 pitches in consecutive days while raking up his third victory, was named the M.V.P. Los Angeles would have a celebration. More people watched this game than in nearly a decade.
It was riveting. It was dramatic. This was the best World Series I had ever seen.
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