It has been 32 years since the Toronto Blue Jays were last in the World Series. That was when Joe Carter hit a 3-run walk-off home run to win the series in Game 6. Toronto has come close in more recent seasons to get back to the Fall Classic, but this is the best they’ve been since that 1993 season. For the Los Angeles Dodgers they are attempting to repeat as World Series champions. They have never done so in their franchise’s history and the last time a team repeated as World Series champions were the New York Yankees from 1998-2000. One team has a stacked roster with future hall of famers and the other has a few standout players in the prime of their careers with a solid amount of depth across the board. One team swept their way into the World Series while the other had to claw their way back to a Game 7 victory to get in. This one should be interesting to say the least.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays

The 2025 NLCS was over after Game 1 and the final nail was put in after Game 2. The Dodgers pitching staff allowed only four runs in the four game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. You read that right, only four runs allowed. Blake Snell pitched 8 innings allowing 0 runs on 1 hit and striking out 10 in Game 1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game in Game 2 allowing a solo home run to the first batter, but striking out 7 and allowing only 3 hits, including that solo home run. Those two pitching performances set the tone and allowed the Dodgers bullpen to breath a sigh of relief (pardon the pun) and get rejuvenated for the upcoming home stand. Tyler Glasnow only pitched 5-2/3 innings in his Game 3 start, but he struck out 8 batters before he departed. NLCS MVP Shohei Ohtani did something that little leaguers don’t do in his Game 4 start. He pitched 6 innings allowing only 2 hits, giving up 0 runs and striking out 10 batters. Oh and he hit three home runs in Game 4 as well. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy each had a home run for the series, but weren’t needed to add much else at the plate. Will Smith had a .400 batting average and Tommy Edman chipped in with a .333 average and drove in 3 runs. Mookie Betts only batted .133, but did drive in 2 runs. The strength of this team is in their starting pitching and they are healthy at just the right time.

Toronto’s strength is not in their pitching, but they did get the job done when they needed them to at crucial moments in the ALCS. Shane Bieber was solid in his two starts striking out 13 batters and walking only 2. He got the win in Game 3, but struggled in Game 7. Rookie Trey Yesavage got the win in Game 6 when Toronto was down 3-2 in the series which is what the Blue Jays would rather have from him than his disastrous Game 2 start. Kevin Gausman pitched in 3 games and started two of them. His 2.19 ERA was the best among the starters in the ALCS. Max Scherzer looked like his old self in his Game 4 start giving up only 2 runs on 3 hits and striking out 5 batters in 5-2/3 innings. Louis Varland pitched in 6 of the 7 games in the ALCS striking out 8 batters and getting Toronto out of a lot of jams. Closer Jeff Hoffman struck out 10 batters and allowed only 1 hit in his 5 innings of work in 4 games pitched. He got the save to closeout Game 7 of the ALCS. The best way to describe the Blue Jays lineup is that it is a gauntlet. The New York Yankees were familiar with it and they couldn’t stop it in the ALDS and the Seattle Mariners found out in a 7-game series. Addison Barger and Andres Gimenez bat near the bottom of the order, but each batted .261 in the ALCS. Each of them hit two home runs and combined to drive in 10. That’s a testament to their depth that guys batting 7th, 8th and 9th in the order doing that will help you win more often than not. Ernie Clement batted .321 and drove in 2 runs. Nathan Lukes batted .333 at the top of order and drove in 2 runs as well. George Springer continues to shin in the Postseason, this time for Toronto. The go-ahead 3-run home run by Springer in Game 7 was the biggest one of the three he hit for the series. ALCS MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit 3 home runs himself, but he batted .385 having 10 hits and scoring 6 runs for the series. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Bo Bichette will be returning to the Blue Jays roster for the World Series. Toronto’s strength against the Dodgers strength of their rotation will be a sight to see in this World Series.

Dodgers in 6 games