World Series 2025 predictions: will the Dodgers repeat or the Blue Jays strike a blow for Canada? | World Series

Is Shohei Ohtani already the greatest of all time?

They it's hard to imagine that another player will even come close to his achievements in this life. In Game 4 of the season's NLCS, he struck out 10 hitters in six shutout innings and hit home runs a quarter-mile wide. Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux perhaps summed it up best when he said, “He kind of reminds you of Nolan Ryan, and then he reminds you of fucking Barry Bonds.” Gabriel Baumgertner

Comparing players from different eras is a piece of cake… but yes. We will never know how successful Babe Ruth or Cy Young would have been if they were today, but it is undeniable that players are constantly getting bigger, stronger and fitter than ever before. To be as dominant as Ohtani is now in two such complex and different disciplines is superhuman. If he had been American, they would have started work on a new wing in Cooperstown. Alan Evans

It rewrites what the term even means. A two-way superstar who led both leagues in WAR, owned two franchises, and now leads a super team chasing back-to-back titles. Ruth had never faced a 100 mph slider. Trout never took the mound. Ohtani does both at a historical level in the age of analytics. Brian Armen Graham

In what sense? Well, he's not the best pitcher and he's not the best hitter. Ruth didn't serve and hit at the same time at the level Ohtani does now, so he is alone at the top in his category. David Lengel

Quick Guide

World Series 2025

Show

Schedule

Best of seven series. All times are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4).

Fri 24 Oct Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 8 p.m.

Sat 25 Oct Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 8 p.m.

Mon, October 27 Game 3: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 8 p.m.

Tue 28 Oct Game 4: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 8 p.m.

Wed, 29 Oct. Game 5: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:00 p.m.*

Fri 31 Oct Game 6: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 8:00 p.m.*

Sat, November 1 Game 7: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 8:00 p.m.*

*if necessary

How to watch

• In the US, all games will be broadcast on FOX. If you have a cable/satellite subscription with FOX included, you can also stream through the FOX Sports app.

• In the UK the official broadcaster is TNT Sports. Requires a subscription to their service or their app.

• In Australia, the local copyright holder is ESPN Australia and its associated platforms.

What the Blue Jays need to do to win.

Hit! If the Blue Jays want to win the series, they will have to put pressure on the Dodgers starting pitchers in the first innings. That means solid, powerful play from star forwards George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as well as pesky, tough veteran players like Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho. GB

Ohtani may be the best in the world, but Guerrero is even hotter now. He has hit six home runs and is batting .442/.510/1.440 this postseason. If anyone can throw the Dodgers pitching staff off rhythm, it could be him. AE

They need to polish the Dodgers' starting lineup. Toronto's contact-heavy lineup needs to expand its at-bats, increase its pitch count and force Dave Roberts to lean on his bullpen. Defensively, they can't give up extra outs. If Vlad Jr. stays bright and Bo Bichette protects him, they'll have a puncher's chance. BAG

The Jays must wear down healthy Los Angeles players. and get to the bullpen the Dodgers were able to hide during the playoffs. Toronto must put pressure on the defense and take every chance they can on the base paths. But on the field, don't take any chances: This means playing conservatively and taking outs in exchange for single runs in an attempt to avoid a big inning at all costs. DL

What do the Dodgers need to do to win?

The Dodgers are at their most dangerous when the bottom half of their lineup gets on base. and frustrates opposing pitchers with long bats. If they get consistent production from reliable postseason players like Tommy Edman, Max Muncy and Enrique Hernandez, the Blue Jays will have to score in droves to keep up. The Dodgers will also benefit if their starting pitching continues to perform as it has: in 10 starts, Los Angeles starters have a 1.40 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 64.1 innings. In nine of those ten starts, the starting pitcher allowed four hits or fewer. GB

Score three points per game. Their pitching staff is so strong that even if their batting lineup had an off day, they would probably still win. They just held the Brewers, who had the best record in baseball this year, to four runs in four games. One pitcher might have a meltdown, but it's hard to imagine it happening four times. AE

Keep preparing the rotation. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani dominated, with Rocky Sasaki getting as close as possible to solving their only weak point. If Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman can get the Dodgers' top spots, the staff won't fork over them. Their depth and rest should overwhelm Toronto's tired staff. BAG

Keep doing what they are doing. The Dodgers need to put aside that slap they've been talking about lately and realize that their opponents are capable of winning it all. Los Angeles has the kind of star baseball that misses so badly, and if they play to that high standard, there won't be much the Jays can do to pull off back-to-back titles. DL

One bold prediction

After failing to succeed in 2024 World SeriesDodgers third baseman Muncie leads in home runs. and is Los Angeles' leading hitter in the series. Muncy is exceptionally dangerous against right-handed pitching, and the Blue Jays only have two left-handed pitchers on the roster. In the NLCS, Muncy became the Dodgers' all-time home run leader in the postseason. After the World Series, he will firmly hold this record. GB

Aubrey is on her guard. There have been a lot of jokes about the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar World Series. Drake is clearly leaning towards this and will do something typically corny, like release a freestyle where “Bo Bichette” rhymes with “wet.” Kendrick will ignore him. AE

Sasaki makes several saves with six outs and wins the game in relief.becoming the youngest pitcher ever to win a World Series title. His 102 mph fastball turns the final pitch into a one-man spectacle and erases the Dodgers bullpen narrative forever. BAG

At some point in this episode Angry Toronto fans will throw things on the field and force the Dodgers players to retreat to the dugout. We've seen it before and were on the verge of seeing it again before the umpires made the right call in the ALCS interference game in Game 7. This is a wealthy crowd in Toronto, but they were on edge even before the trade war. DL

World Series Player of the Year

Let's mix it up a little and let's Blake Snellwho will finally put Game 6 of the 2020 World Series out of his head. With that said, the award will go to Ohtani if ​​he serves the ball well and has at least a decent offensive streak. He won the NLCS MVP despite being the team's worst hitter until his historic Game 4 performance. GB

Blake Snell. As the Game 1 starter, he's the most likely Dodgers ace to start more than once, and two dominant performances could be enough to seal that. He gave up three runs on 15 hits in his final six games with a 0.68 ERA over that span. I wouldn't bet against him keeping that form. AE

Shohei Ohtani. He would score goals in consecutive games in Toronto and get off to a strong start in Game 5. It won't just be about productivity – there will be an aura, a sense of inevitability when he walks into the box. The consummate player facing the biggest stage. BAG

World Series MVP – Veteran Kevin Gausmanwho wins two important games and disarms the strongest players in the Los Angeles lineup. He allowed just three runs in three postseason starts and threw a hit in Game 7 against Seattle. It's his splitter who stirs the drink, and even disciplined Dodgers will have a hard time giving it up. Look for Kevin to come in and help Toronto win the trophy in the north. Will they have to pay a fee? DL

The World Series winner will be…

Dodgers – Blue Jays 4-2. This will be a closer series than people expect. Expect the Blue Jays to get at least one lopsided win after knocking out one of the Dodgers' vaunted starting pitchers early in the game. The problem for the Blue Jays will be an inconsistent bullpen, not their starting pitching, which will struggle against a patient group of veteran Dodgers hitters. GB

Dodgers – Blue Jays 4-1. The Dodgers' victory seems predetermined. If they have a weakness, it's their bullpen (a shaky 4.27 ERA in the regular season) – but the return to fitness of Sasaki and his devastating splitter should help them stabilize things if things go wrong. Meanwhile, Toronto needs absolutely everything to go well. They might be able to get Guerrero and Gausman to one loss, but four wins is a huge task. AE

Dodgers – Blue Jays 4-3. The depth of their rotation is unmatched, their stars are rested, and Ohtani's presence boosts the confidence of the entire roster. It should be a cakewalk for the Dodgers, but baseball can be funny sometimes. Toronto's offense makes the most of home field advantage, but the Dodgers' combination of starting pitching, discipline and star power will simply prove too strong to prevent them from becoming baseball's first repeat champion in a quarter century. BAG

Blue Jays 4-3 Dodgers. Yamamoto, Snell, Ohtani, Glasnow? What should you do with these guys? They were so good that their beleaguered bullpen pitched only seven innings in the rout of the Brewers. It's definitely old school L.A. It's hard to imagine Toronto pulling it off, but now really try. Imagine Bichette returning to the lineup and picking up where he left while Guerrero and Springer remain white-hot. How about Gausman pitching twice at Rogers Center, where the Jays are so hard to beat? Contact hitters spend the serve and put the ball in play: anything can happen, and it does happen. Suddenly we were in Game 7 when Addison Barger touched them all in the 10th inning, helping the Jays to their first title since 1993. Not bad, right? DL