A Series for the Ages: Dodgers Win the 2025 World Series

Now that one of the most exciting and thrilling World Series in recent memory has come and gone, it’s time to look back at all the moments and stories that composed this incredible matchup.

The so-called “David and Goliath” matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers turned into a back-and-forth affair of slugfests and pitcher’s duels.

For one team, their name is etched into history yet again for the second consecutive year, and for some players a third time.

For the other, absolute heartbreak for a team of destiny who fought their way from last place to first place and took the league by storm this year. What we got out of this series was pure baseball cinema of the highest quality.

The Dodgers are the first team to win consecutive World Series titles since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. Baseball fans were treated to what a quintessential World Series looked like this year, and it was eventful from start to finish. There were some individual players that stood out more than the rest in this series, however.

Los Angeles’ Notable Performances

Yoshinobu Yamamoto – 3-0, 1.02 ERA, 17.2 IP, 15-2 K/BB, 0.679 WHIP (World Series MVP)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a simply historic performance in the 2025 World Series, appearing in and receiving the win in three separate games — all on the road at the Rogers Centre. He pitched with finesse, efficiency, and dominance all at once and the Blue Jays’ offense simply could not figure him out.

Yamamoto compiled 17.2 IP innings of work in this World Series and allowed just 10 hits and four extra-base hits (all doubles). His lethal pitch mix, in particular his devastating slider, was completely puzzling for Toronto’s hitters, and Games 2, 6, and 7 all fell the Dodgers’ way because of his efforts.

Without Yamamoto, this series is not won by LA.

In just his second year in MLB, Yamamoto has won his second World Series ring and the Dodgers have gone back-to-back and are solidifying themselves as a dynasty. He’s very much responsible for this series being such an instant classic of a matchup.

Shohei Ohtani – .333/.500/.778, 3 HR, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 1.278 OPS

Shohei Ohtani has won his second World Series ring in his second year with the Dodgers after signing his massive $700 million deal prior to the 2024 season. This series was a matchup of the team that got Ohtani against the team that missed out on him, and he showed up big time in this series. With the bat, that is.

At the plate, Ohtani left his mark on virtually every single game but most memorably in the marathon that was Game 3. He reached base nine times in that game which set a new MLB postseason record — he hit two doubles, two home runs, and walked five times (four of which were intentional walks). Ohtani scored six runs in the series, leading the Dodgers in this category.

On the mound, Ohtani really struggled against the Blue Jays to the tune of a 7.56 ERA but he definitely made up for it with his generational offensive talent. He’s likely to receive his fourth MVP award this year and enter yet another exclusive club and joining Barry Bonds as the only two players to do so.

Will Smith – .267/.353/.533, 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 RBI, .886 OPS

2025 marks the sixth consecutive season in which a player named Will Smith has won the World Series, and he made sure to make his mark this year. He clubbed two home runs in the series and led the Dodgers with 5 RBIs, including the series-winning home run in the top of the 11th inning of Game 7.

Smith caught every inning of this series behind the plate for LA, and his Game 7 home run is the fifth-most valuable hit in MLB postseason history by cWPA (Championship Win Probability Added). His impact on this series was paramount to the Dodgers’ success, as he was only one of two Dodger hitters to slug an OPS above .800 in the series (Ohtani).

In the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 7, shortstop Miguel Rojas tossed an off-balance throw to Smith to get the force out at home plate and prevent Toronto from winning the game by keeping the tip of his cleat on home plate when receiving the throw.

Overall, he was one of the most impactful names in the World Series this year.

Toronto’s Notable Performances

Addison Barger – .480/.536/.680, 1 HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 1.216 OPS

If Toronto was able to clinch this World Series victory, Addison Barger would’ve been the hands-down World Series MVP (possibility for Trey Yesavage, though). He was consistently the best hitter in Toronto’s lineup and had six multi-hit games against the Dodgers, proving himself more than capable of hitting against both lefties and righties.

This postseason was a true breakout for Barger, as the rest of the league got to witness his prowess at the plate. Blue Jays fans have known about him all year long, but now his strengths are being spotlighted on a national level.

Barger was tied for the series lead in hits with 12 (Ernie Clement) and was a huge part of Toronto’s league-leading offense coming to life yet again in this series. His 5 RBI were third-best on the team in this series behind Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk (6 RBI).

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – .333/.474/.600. 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 1.074 OPS

The ALCS MVP and franchise cornerstone of the Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had himself quite the World Series. He had two home runs in the series including one off Shohei Ohtani in Game 4 to turn the series back in the Jays’ direction. He is the leader of this team and responsible for fostering the winning environment and relentless offense that the 2025 Blue Jays embodied this year.

Guerrero had to stand at third base as the potential game-tying run in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7 and watch Toronto’s World Series dream be crushed in heartbreaking fashion. He’s got 14 more years with the Jays left to go so he’ll likely be back here at some point in the future but only time will tell.

He played with Bichette for what might have been the last time if Bo doesn’t resign with Toronto this offseason. Bichette is a huge part of this team and Guerrero will surely make a huge case for why the Jays should seek a long-term extension with their franchise shortstop.

Trey Yesavage – 1-0, 2.84 ERA, 12.2 IP, 17-4 K/BB, 0.947 WHIP

Trey Yesavage had a rookie performance for the ages, sporting one of the best World Series games in MLB history.

He set record after record with his gutsy Game 5 outing in which he went seven strong innings with 12 strikeouts and zero walks. He is now the owner of the Blue Jays’ all-time postseason strikeout record (39)…Oh, and he’s still a qualified rookie next season.

Yesavage put the whole league on notice in the ALDS when he pitched 5.1 no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts against against the New York Yankees and he found that form again in this series. He even made an appearance in Game 7 out of Toronto’s bullpen, going 1.2 innings in relief.

Even though he’ll probably be kicking himself for giving up a solo home run to Max Muncy in the 8th inning of Game 7, there’s absolutely nothing this young man should have regrets about over this last month. He’ll be back in the spring to terrorize the league yet again.

Prominent Storylines

Clayton Kershaw Goes Out on Top

Aside from players like Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who are in the primes of their careers, Clayton Kershaw played the final game of his Hall of Fame career on Saturday and he goes out a three-time champion.

Gone are the days where Kershaw was known as a perennial playoff choker, as he’s now helped the Dodgers win three World Series titles in the past six years (2020, 2024, 2025). Although he only actually factored into two games this postseason, he still made his mark on the World Series, getting Nathan Lukes out in a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the marathon Game 3 of this series.

Regardless of what you think of Clayton Kershaw, he deserves every second of celebrating this victory just as much as the rest of the team. He’s one of the best pitchers of his generation and he’ll be enshrined in Cooperstown as soon as he’s eligible to be inducted.

Bo Bichette, ex-Blue Jay?

As the World Series comes to a close, so too might Bo Bichette’s tenure as a Blue Jay as he officially becomes a free agent. Drafted by Toronto in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft, he’s been a consistent presence in the Jays’ lineup ever since making his MLB debut in 2019.

Leading the league in hits twice, making two All-Star teams, and receiving MVP votes in three consecutive years, Bichette brought this franchise so much happiness and great moments so far. Bichette has consistently stated that he wants to remain a Blue Jay for the rest of his career, but it’s up to Toronto upper management to make it happen and bring Bo back to the Jays.

Bichette made a great impact on this World Series after not being on Toronto’s playoff roster for most of September and the entirety of the ALDS and ALCS. He notched eight hits in the WS including a go-ahead three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani in the third inning of Game 7 to send Rogers Centre into a frenzy.

Bichette will never be forgotten as a Blue Jay, but if this is it for him in Toronto, he did his best to make the end memorable.

Dynasty in the Works

The Dodgers are the first team since 2000 to repeat as World Series Champions in consecutive seasons and it’s the first time in franchise history they have achieved this feat. A dynasty is often declared by a third championship in a window of winning, and some might say the Dodgers have already achieved this with their WS win in 2020 as well.

Regardless of how you view this team, they’re on top of the league for a reason and they’re still the team to beat. Led by Japanese phenom after Japanese phenom, these Dodgers have big names and they did whatever was necessary to get themselves back to this position again.

The sports world is going through an era of dynasties it seems, as the Florida Panthers have repeated as 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs made the Super Bowl four out of the last five years (back-to-back wins), and now the Dodgers stand atop baseball for the second straight year.

Well baseball, it was fun. Another year of ball has come and gone, and now we wait until Spring Training next season. Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers for making themselves immortal yet again, and we’ll see what next year has in store.