The World Series is set, and thus far, the MLB playoffs have not disappointed. For the first time in 32 seasons, the World Series is heading back to Canada, where the Toronto Blue Jays will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Blue Jays’ path to the World Series started with the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. The Yankees entered the series with momentum after a strong finish to the regular season and a wild-card series victory over the Red Sox. However, when New York traveled north of the border, it was Toronto who had the upper hand. In games 1 and 2 of the ALDS, Toronto scored a combined 23 runs and cruised to a pair of victories. When the clubs came to New York for games 3 and 4, the Bronx Bombers took game 3 in comeback fashion on the back of Aaron Judge’s 3 hits and 4 runs batted in, including a towering home run in the 4th inning. Toronto recovered and won game 4 to advance to the ALCS.
James Ferrante ‘27 said his favorite moments of the postseason were “Cam Schlittler’s dominance against the Red Sox and Aaron Judge’s 3-run homer to keep the Yankees alive in the ALDS.”
Awaiting the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series were the Seattle Mariners, who had just defeated the Tigers in a 15-inning, decisive game 5. Once again, the series began in Toronto, but this time it was the Mariners who jumped out to a 2-0 lead. However, when the series shifted to Seattle, the Blue Jays took 2 out of 3 games, sending the clubs back to Canada with the Mariners holding a 3-2 advantage.
In game 6, rookie pitcher Trey YeSavage rolled, tossing 5 plus innings while allowing just 2 runs, the only runs the Mariners would score. Offensively, Toronto put the first 5 runs of the game on the board, and then finished the job with another in the 7th. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 6th home run of the postseason en route to a 6-2 Blue Jay victory, leading to a penultimate game 7.
The series remained in Canada for the final bout of the ALCS, and for the majority of the game, it seemed like the Mariners were going to move on to the World Series. Seattle started the scoring in the first when Julio Rodriguez crossed the plate courtesy of a Josh Naylor single. In the bottom half, Toronto evened the score on a Dalton Varsho single that brought George Springer home. Then, Seattle added runs in the 3rd and 5th on Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh’s solo home runs. Entering the 7th frame, the score was 3-1 in favor of the Mariners, and then George Springer, the seasoned veteran, sent a 3-run home run 381 feet to left field, giving the Blue Jays the lead. The score would hold at 4-3, and the Blue Jays will represent the American League in the World Series.
On the other side of the bracket, the reigning champion Dodgers had a much more dominant path to the fall classic. The team from Los Angeles started their playoff run in the wild card, where they quickly took care of the Reds in 2 games.
The Phillies were waiting in the National League Division Series, and pushed the series to four games, but were still no match for the Dodgers. Game 4 was a pitcher’s duel that went into extra innings. In the bottom of the eleventh, Jose Luzardo started the inning on the bump, but was removed after getting two outs and runners on the corners. Orion Kerkering entered the game out of the bullpen and walked Kike Hernandez to load the bases. Andy Pages was the next man to step to the plate, and he sent a chopping ground ball back to the pitcher, which Kerkering bobbled. Kerking picked up the ball and fired errantly to home plate, allowing the winning run to score and sending the Dodgers to the NLCS.
The league championship series was over almost as quickly as it started, with the Dodgers sweeping the Brewers in 4 games. Game 1 was the closest in the series with a final score of 2-1, and it included an obscure play. In the 4th innings, Max Muncy came to the plate with the bases juiced and skied a fly ball to deep center field, where Sal Frelick bobbled it before securing the baseball; however, the ball hit the wall before being caught. Teoscar Hernandez waited on third, hoping to tag up despite the bobble, which meant he could sprint home and that the play at the plate became a force out. Frelick relayed the ball home, and the Brewers nabbed Hernandez; William Contreras then jogged to third to collect another out and end the inning.
In game 6, Shohei Ohtani put on one of the greatest showings the game has ever seen. The two-way superstar threw six shutout frames while striking out ten batters. At the dish, he was arguably more impressive, hitting home runs in each of his 3 at-bats and driving in 3 of the 5 Dodger runs. Following the game, Ohtani was named NLCS MVP. L.A. dominated the league championship series, and the Dodgers will have a chance to win back-to-back World Series in 2025.
World Series Preview:
Prediction: Dodgers win in 6 games
This year’s World Series will begin in Toronto on Friday, October 24th. The Dodgers have been one of the top teams in baseball all season, and they proved it in the postseason by dominating the National League competition. By comparison, the Dodgers have better pitchers and hitters, but the Blue Jays have more heart. Bo Bichette will also be in the lineup for the first time in the postseason for Toronto. Overall, the Dodgers have been the team to beat all season; expect the Dodgers to win a second consecutive World Series title.
