A Wild Finish sends the 2025 World Series to Game 7
- Matthew Nethercott
- Oct 31, 2025
- 4 min read
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Mookie Betts lead LA to MLB's first World Series Game 7 since 2019
TORONTO, CA — Just wow. It was rocky for the Dodgers bullpen, but they got the job done. The Dodgers outlast the Blue Jays, winning 3-1, but it was a nail-bitter, down to the final play.
The Dodger bullpen has been a big concern for the whole season, and those issues came to light today. Roki Sazaki was brought on to pitch the eighth inning, and struggled in the inning. Sazaki gave up a leadoff single to Springer, bringing on the heart of the lineup, just daring the Jays to tie the game. After walking Guerrero, Sazaki was able to get Bichette to pop out and Varsho to ground out and end the inning, on 25 pitches.
Dave Roberts, knowing how shallow the bullpen is, kept Sazaki in the game. After hitting Kirk on an 0-2 pitch, he gave up a double off the bat of Barger that was wedged in the wall, ending his night with the tying runs in scoring position and no outs.
Tyler Glasnow was called on by Dave Roberts to close out Game 6, and he did so, with some help. Glasnow induced a pop-up by Clement on the first pitch, and two pitches later, gets Gimenez to line into a double play to left and end the game. Kiké Hernandez has been known to rise to the moment in the postseason, and he certainly did so, this time with his glove. For Hernandez to have the instinctual awareness to throw to second, and for Rojas to keep his foot on the bag was incredible.
“I was playing a little little more shallow than the card wanted me to.” Kiké “But you know, given the situation, really fast guy at second base, I was like, “You know what?" I’m gonna I’m gonna play really, really shallow.” And I mean, if he gets hit over my head, kudos to him, but I feel like his pop is more to the pull side.”
“I thought I long hopped him, but I give him a really hard throw to catch, and I think it was a better pick than it was a play for on my end, it was a better pick on me.” Hernandez added.
“It’s a tough read. Blue Jays Manager John Schnider said. “Kiké playing shallow and one out you’re thinking score.”
Barger strayed way too far off second base, especially with one out in the inning.
“He made a really good play.” Schnider added. “It’s such a tweener. He made a good play, good throw. Good play by Rojas too. Wild. Wild way to finish it, for sure.”
“I was pretty surprised he got to it.” Addison Barger said. “Off the bat, I thought it was going to go over the shortstop’s head. I didn’t think it was going to travel that far. It was kind of a bad read.”
“He’s one of the headiest baseball players I’ve ever been around.” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And even just getting off on the ball, the awareness to get to his arm, get the ball into second base." He’s just a heck of a baseball player. And he did that, I think, from left field to first base too in another series, or it might have been this series. But heck of a baseball player, heck of a play.”
It was the first 7-4 double play to end a game in postseason history, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Dodgers scored their three runs in the third inning, and that was enough to win the game. A leadoff double by Tommy Edman came around to score against Keven Gausman after he intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani and surrendered an RBI single to Will Smith. After a walk to Freeman to load the bases with two outs, Mookie Betts had his biggest hit of the postseason, so far, lining a two-run single into left. The Dodgers had four hits today — three of them in the third inning.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto absolutely dealt today for the Dodgers. He delivered six innings, giving up just one run and striking out six. It seemed like every time he took the ball for the Dodgers this postseason, he dominated the opposing lineup.
“I thought Yamamoto was very good, actually.” Dave Roberts said. “I just felt that Vladdy at-bat, the Bichette at-bat, certainly gets out of that 6th inning…Yamamoto did his job for the night, in my opinion.”
Keven Gausman was solid for Toronto, keeping them in the game. He delivered six innings of three-run ball, striking out eight. His splitter was super sharp tonight, generating 15 whiffs and 27 swings. The issue — he only got one run of support.
For the first time since 2019, we will get a World Series Game 7. The Blue Jays will be starting the Veteran Max Scherzer, who started Game 7 for the Nationals in 2019. The Dodgers will be starting Shohei Ohtani on short rest for Game 7. Roberts also noted that Miguel Rojas will start at second once again, and Mookie Betts will be back in the cleanup spot.
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