Inside the Dodgers’ Matchup vs. Blue Jays in the World Series Showdown

The Los Angeles Dodgers were just one win away from hosting Game 1 of the World Series. 

Instead, their Fall Classic opponent, the Toronto Blue Jays, stormed back to steal the American League pennant, capping a stunning 4-3 Game 7 comeback victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. 

George Springer’s three-run homer lifted the Blue Jays into the World Series and will go down as an all time postseason moment. 

The Blue Jays’ first AL crown in 32 years now sets up a powerhouse matchup against the defending champion Dodgers, with Game 1 slated for Friday night in Toronto. 

“This is what you play for,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Two elite teams, a packed house, and the whole world watching, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

On the other side, Blue Jays skipper John Schneider echoed that energy after Toronto’s thrilling  Game 7 win over Seattle. “We’ve got a group that believes we can beat anybody,” Schneider said. “Now we get a shot at the champs.”

Guerrero and Ohtani Headline Star-Powered Lineups

The Fall Classic will feature some of MLB’s biggest names: Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Freddie Freeman, and George Springer. 

“It’s two of the best rosters in baseball,” Schneider said. “And both clubs are built for October.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been the best hitter so far this postseason as he is batting .462 with six home runs, 12 RBIs, and a 1.532 OPS, the third-highest single-postseason OPS in MLB history with a minimum of 40 plate appearances. 

Toronto’s offense as a whole has been relentless. The Blue Jays finished fourth in runs scored (847), first in team batting average (.281), and third in OPS (.794) during the regular season.

And they’ve only gotten hotter.

Ernie Clement has emerged as a postseason spark, hitting .447 with seven RBIs, while Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes have added balance from the left side of the plate. 

It will be an epic clash between one of the best offenses in baseball and a Dodgers starting pitching staff that has been dominant this postseason. 

For the Dodgers, the offense centers around Shohei Ohtani. Prior to his breakout in Game 4 of the NLCS, Ohtani was struggling as he was only 3-29 since the NLDS. 

However, Ohtani emerged in Game 4 for one of the greatest postseason performances of all time, hitting three home runs while also striking out 10 on the mound. Ohtani has broken out of his offensive slump and is primed for a big World Series. 

Pitching Matchups 

Toronto’s rotation doesn’t have the stars like the Dodgers’, but it has been rock solid so far this postseason. 

Kevin Gausman has a 2.12 ERA in three postseason starts, while Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer have combined for 22 innings of 3.27 ERA baseball.

Rookie sensation Trey Yesavage, who started the year in the minors, has struck out 21 batters in 16 innings. 

The Dodgers counter with Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei, a group that has combined for a 1.54 ERA this postseason. 

The four aces set a MLB record for the lowest ERA in a four-game championship series stretch at 0.56, allowing only one run across four consecutive games. 

However, Toronto led all of MLB in batting average against offspeed pitches (.258) which could test a Dodgers staff that leans on breaking stuff more than 50% of the time. 

The first pitch of the 2025 World Series comes Friday night in Toronto and it will be an absolute heavyweight showdown.

Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on Heavy Sports

The post Inside the Dodgers’ Matchup vs. Blue Jays in the World Series Showdown appeared first on Heavy Sports.