Baseball has repositioned itself as one of the best sports in the world. The 2025 World Series was one of the greatest World Series — or series of any sport — of all time.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, the World Series ended in an all-time classic Game 7. The series featured the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers — but how did both teams get there?
The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Cincinnati Reds, beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3–1 in a best-of-five series and swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
The Toronto Blue Jays earned a first-round bye by dominating the regular season, then crushed their division rival New York Yankees in a best-of-five series. The Blue Jays advanced to the American League Championship Series, where they won an epic back-and-forth battle against the Seattle Mariners.
Game 1 started on Oct. 24 in Toronto. The final score was 11–4 in favor of the Blue Jays. The game went back and forth for the first five innings, but the Blue Jays blew it open with an MLB-record nine runs scored in the sixth inning.
The Dodgers won Game 2 in Toronto and Game 3 in Los Angeles. Game 2 was all about Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto — he dominated, pitching all nine innings while allowing one run, four hits and recording eight strikeouts.
Game 3 lasted 18 innings, setting an MLB record for the longest playoff game and longest World Series game. The game ended at 2:50 a.m. Each team used nearly every pitcher available, and the Dodgers ultimately won 6–5.
The Blue Jays won Games 4 and 5, both in Los Angeles, giving them a 3–2 series lead. Toronto scored six runs in both games, compared to Los Angeles’ two and one. Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage pitched seven innings with 12 strikeouts in Game 5.
The Dodgers won Game 6 with a 3–1 finish. Yamamoto pitched six innings and allowed five hits. Mookie Betts clinched the game with a two-run single, giving the Dodgers the crucial win over the Blue Jays and forcing the legendary Game 7.
Game 7 went 11 innings. It felt like it was over in the first three innings, when the Blue Jays led 3–0 — but the Dodgers slowly crawled back inning by inning. The game ended 5–4 in favor of the Dodgers, making them back-to-back World Series champions.
Despite the loss, the Blue Jays made history throughout their postseason run. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tied for second in single-season postseason hits with 38. Ernie Clement broke the record with 39 hits.
The Blue Jays finished last season in last place with one of the worst records in baseball — and now they reached the World Series.
On the Dodgers’ side, one of the best pitchers of all time, Clayton Kershaw, ended his final year with a championship ring. Kershaw concluded his career with a legendary 3,000 strikeouts.
Now, the torch has been passed to World Series Most Valuable Player Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto had an incredible performance, pitching back-to-back games in Game 6 and Game 7.
The Dodgers still have their core intact in Shohei Ohtani, Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Overall, this World Series was thrilling to watch — one of the greatest playoff scenes of all time. It was the type of series that brings fans to a sport, and it comes at a perfect time for baseball.