The 2025 World Series

 Inside baseball’s biggest series

November 1st officially put an end to the 2025 Major League Baseball season. The 121st World Series began October 21st in Toronto, Canada where the Blue Jays took on the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Jays went on to stun the world as they defeated the overpowered Dodgers 11-4, with a total of nine runs scored in the sixth inning. Game One went on to begin the momentum that shaped the series as one of the best World Series in the past ten years. The following day, Game Two, again hosted by the Jays, led to the Dodgers’s first win, tying the series 1-1. Dodger’s star Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched the entirety of the inning, allowing only four hits and one run. Yamamoto had a total of eight strikeouts, carrying the Dodgers team on his back. 
The iconic Game Three’s 18-inning outing in LA proved to be the most memorable part of the entire series. The game lasted merely seven hours with a grand total of 609 pitches, 130 at-bats, and 19 pitchers. Because the game lasted technically two whole games, both teams cycled through most of their bullpens, exhausting their pitchers. On the offensive side, Shohei Ohtani homered twice, intentionally walked four times, and reached first a grand total of nine times. The game ended with a walk-off home run by LA’s Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the 18th. The Dodgers led the Jays 2-1 in the series. 

The following game was won 6-2 by the Blue Jays; the game featured Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hitting a two-run homer off of Ohtani with the Jays being strong on either side of the ball. The Dodgers defense and bullpen struggled, presumably due to the long game the day before. Game Five ended with the Jays beating the Dodgers with a 6-1 defeat. The game began with back-to-back home runs by Davis Schneider and Vladdy in the first inning. Additionally, Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage set a new record with a total of 12 strikeouts, giving up only one run. 

The final two games of the World Series were won by the Dodgers, bringing the LA team to win back-to-back championships. While both games were close–with a ball getting supposedly stuck in the outfield wall during Game Six and the 11-inning Game Seven–the Dodgers won the World Series with a game-ending double play. Deservingly, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was voted Most Valuable Player, as he pitched in games Two, Six, and Seven, a historic performance by the pitcher.  

Despite the games being the most important element, no set of championship games are complete without celebrity drama. Drake attended games six and seven in support of the Jays, bringing some fans to say he jinxed the team. In LA, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were greeted with boos as they–clad in Dodgers baseball caps–were seated in prime seats, directly in front of LA royalty Sandy Koufax and Magic Johnson. Following the Jays Series loss, however, a video surfaced of the couple reacting to the Dodgers' win, with Harry looking upset, despite seemingly throwing his support to the Dodgers. 

Ultimately, the better team did not win. Fans and critics alike agree that the back-to-back title wins of the superstar, $1.2 billion Dodgers team has led to an unfair advantage that other teams can only dream of holding. While some argue that owners need to spend more cash on their teams, it can also be said that not everyone can win the game anymore due to the insane pay gap between teams. Something must be done to ensure fair play between teams across the MLB. 

By Adelle Hall

Image from MLB.com