LA Dodgers retain World Series after thrilling Game 7 win over Toronto Blue Jays | World Series

Los Angeles Dodgers won its second straight title in stunning fashion early Sunday, denying the Toronto Blue Jays their first World Series in 32 years in an incredible, epic Game 7. Will Smith's two-out solo home run in the top of the 11th inning off Shane Bieber gave Los Angeles a 5-4 lead before Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitching in relief just a day after throwing 96 pitches, got Alejandro Kirk and ended with a double play in the finale of the World Series, giving the Dodgers their ninth title.

“Man, this is a special group of guys,” Smith said after the game. “We just never gave up, kept fighting, hitting, hitting, hitting great at bats. We finally broke through. Man, it's been a battle for seven games. That's a really good result. Toronto Blue Jays team. I'm just delighted. There's nothing better than this.”

The Dodgers, heavy favorites to win the Fall Classic against the underdog Jays, won narrowly. Their victory came despite their anemic attack, which yielded just 17 runs in the series and may have been saved by one man: Yamamoto. So the $400 million Dodgers got what they came for, another World Series a title that will have fans north of the US-Canadian border wondering what might have been. They will believe – perhaps correctly – that through seven games the Jays were the better team.

Toronto was just two outs away from glory, making this defeat even more painful. The beginning of the end for the Jays began in the ninth inning, a frame that gave baseball fans one of the most unusual experiences in World Series history.

With Toronto leading 4-3, Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers' No. 9 hitter, hit a game-tying home run off Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman to tie the game at 4-4. It was an explosion that ripped the soul out of the home fans in Toronto.

“I’ve never attempted a home run,” Rojas said. “I think this is the first home run against a right-handed pitcher all year, and it's come in most of my life and my career… I can't describe the emotion I'm feeling right now.”

And yet there was hope.

In the bottom of the inning, Yamamoto hit Alejandro Kirk to load the bases with one out. Rojas then came back for another close-up, grabbed Dalton Varsho's grounder, tossed it home and barely displaced Isaiah Kiner-Falefa at the plate. The game was so close that it was reconsidered, and the Blue Jays came within a hair's breadth of winning the World Series due to the overturned call. However, the decision was upheld in “The Dodgers Lived On.”

On the very next play, Ernie Clement sent the ball into the far corner of left field, where Andy Pages made a circus move, colliding with teammate Kiké Hernandez. Jay fans were left gasping for breath as the 2025 season began with additional innings.

“[Yamamoto] was the most valuable player of this series. It was incredible. I talked to him yesterday. I said, “Hey, if you give us one, we'll win.” He gave us three. It was something special,” Smith said. – He will have several months of vacation. I know he's going to need it, but yeah, I'm just happy for him. It was amazing.”

Toronto's loss ends a dream season on the lowest note. A year after frustrated Jays fans demanded a front office change, they reached the 11th inning of the World Series without Shohei Ohtani, whom they actively courted after the 2023 season before he joined the Dodgers. And without Rocky Sasaki, who they also did everything they could to sign last winter before he also signed with the Dodgers. They rode the April momentum of signing star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a long-term deal until October, when 22-year-old hurler with virtually no major league experience, Trey Yesavage, reinvigorated their postseason career.

But it wasn't enough to dethrone the majestic Dodgers and series MVP Yamamoto, whose manager proclaimed the pitcher “the GOAT” in the postgame celebration.

Los Angeles trailed 3-0 in the third after Bo Bichette's three-run hit off Ohtani, forcing the two-way master, who was having a quiet night, to take a rare walk of shame to the bench.

The Dodgers looked to bounce back in the fourth when 41-year-old Max Scherzer, pitching solid through three innings, gave up a double to Smith, a single to Freddie Freeman and walked Max Muncy to load the bases. Teoscar Hernandez, loaded with a bat full of October magic, hit a sinking line drive to center, but Varsho made a sliding catch that prevented a potential base hit and kept the Dodgers within one run. Guerrero then made a diving catch off Tommy Edman's line to send the team off. The Jays' defense saved Scherzer, and the future Hall of Famer finished four innings allowing just one run.

In the controversial end of the fifth, Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski waved off Andres Jimenez and hit him in the arm. The shortstop protested and the benches cleared, temporarily poisoning the evening. Jimenez got revenge in the sixth inning with an RBI double from Tyler Glasnow to put Toronto up 4–2.

Muncy cut into Toronto's lead with a solo home run in the eighth inning from Yesavage, who was pitching in relief after 17 strikeouts in 11 innings as a starter. That allowed Los Angeles to close before Rojas' home run tied the game.

Three regular starters—Yamamoto, Glasnow and Blake Snell—came out of the Dodgers bullpen to hold Toronto to one run after the third inning, allowing Los Angeles to keep the Jays in sight. Ultimately, it was the Jays' inability to break down Los Angeles pitchers that night—they were just 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position—that led to their undoing.

Now the Dodgers return to the United States with their first back-to-back titles. Major League Baseball had seen the New York Yankees since 1999 and 2000, and all he needed was one more ring for a true dynasty.