The stage is set for an electrifying 2025 World Series as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays prepare to battle for baseball’s ultimate prize. With Game 1 scheduled for Friday, October 24, in Toronto, anticipation is reaching fever pitch among fans on both sides of the border. Both teams have traveled dramatically different roads to get here, but each arrives with momentum and plenty to prove.
The Dodgers, perennial contenders and defending champions, are making their fifth World Series appearance in the last nine seasons. Their journey, however, was anything but smooth. After a red-hot 8-0 start—the best ever for a defending champion in Major League Baseball—the Dodgers soon found themselves mired in a midseason slump. From mid-May through early September, they played exactly .500 baseball (49-49), plagued by injuries to key pitchers like Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Tony Gonsolin. The lineup, too, was battered: Freddie Freeman played through ankle and rib injuries, Mookie Betts battled a spring-training virus, and stars like Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernández, and Kiké Hernández missed significant time.
Yet the Dodgers’ veteran core never lost faith. “We always knew what we had in the clubhouse. We always knew what we had on the field. Now, you’re starting to see it,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said, champagne spraying in the background as the team celebrated its National League pennant. That confidence proved crucial after a devastating September 6 loss in Baltimore, where the Dodgers squandered a no-hitter and a three-run lead in the ninth. “Losing that game, to a team that’s not even in playoff contention, you started thinking, ‘What’s wrong with us?’” infielder Miguel Rojas recalled. But the team’s leadership, including manager Dave Roberts, kept spirits high and focus sharp.
Once the roster got healthy, the Dodgers became a juggernaut. They finished the regular season on a 15-5 tear, then steamrolled through October with a 9-1 record en route to sweeping the Milwaukee Braves in the National League Championship Series. Their pitching staff was lights-out, posting a 2.07 ERA in September and an even stingier 1.40 ERA in the playoffs. Shohei Ohtani, who had been limited early in the year while recovering from Tommy John surgery, ramped up to a full starter’s workload while also posting MVP-caliber offensive numbers. “We started winning because our starting pitching was just so good,” Freeman said. “As an offense, when you see your starting pitcher just throwing zeros over and over and over again, it’s like, ‘C’mon, just get one, get two, get three.’”
Offensively, the Dodgers found their groove at just the right time. Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman combined for 22 home runs and 54 RBIs in September, and the team averaged 5.6 runs per game over their final 20 contests. The coaching staff emphasized quality at-bats and team offense, helping the Dodgers regain their identity as a relentless, battle-tested group. “We always knew we were going to be a really, really good team in October,” Muncy said. “Once you get to October, it’s, ‘Alright, it’s game time.’ That’s how we’re taking it.”
The path for the Blue Jays was no less dramatic. After finishing the regular season with a 94-68 record, Toronto secured a first-round bye and homefield advantage for the World Series—their first trip to the Fall Classic since 1993. The Jays’ postseason run began with a convincing four-game victory over the New York Yankees in the Division Series. Then, in the American League Championship Series, they faced the Seattle Mariners in a hard-fought seven-game battle that culminated in a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday, October 20.
Toronto’s pitching staff, led by rookie sensation Trey Yesavage, proved to be the difference-maker. Yesavage, who pitched into the sixth inning of Game 6, delivered clutch performances throughout October. “Half of Yesavage’s big league starts have come in October. All he knows at baseball’s highest level is stretch run starts and the postseason stage,” The Athletic noted. The Blue Jays’ offense came alive early in Game 6, putting up five runs against Seattle’s Logan Gilbert and riding that cushion to a 6-2 victory. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued his torrid postseason, smashing his sixth home run of the playoffs to tie the franchise’s all-time record for playoff homers. “Somewhere between Guerrero’s three playoff sweeps and this October run, Guerrero learned more than losses. He learned how to become a postseason hero,” The Athletic reported.
The Mariners, for their part, pushed the Blue Jays to the brink. Josh Naylor stood out as Seattle’s best hitter, batting .341 in October with three home runs in the ALCS. But Toronto’s bullpen and timely defense—highlighted by Yesavage’s knack for inducing double plays—held strong when it mattered most. Mariners manager Dan Wilson praised the Jays’ ability to get out of jams, saying, “If you could throw it at the bottom of the zone, (it’s a) really a tough pitch to get into the air.”
With the AL pennant clinched, the Blue Jays now turn their attention to the Dodgers. The series opens with two games at Rogers Centre in Toronto on October 24 and 25, before shifting to Los Angeles for Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) on October 27-29. Should the series go the distance, Games 6 and 7 will return to Toronto on October 31 and November 1. First pitch for Game 1 is set for 5 p.m. PT, with exclusive coverage on FOX and the FOX One app.
For fans eager to witness the action in person, tickets are in high demand. As of October 20, get-in prices for Games 1 and 2 at Dodger Stadium were listed just under $800 and $750, respectively, on resale sites like TickPick. Those lucky enough to snag a seat will be treated to a matchup brimming with storylines: the Dodgers’ quest for back-to-back titles, the Blue Jays’ return to the World Series after three decades, and a collision of baseball’s brightest stars.
As the countdown to first pitch continues, both teams are embracing the moment. The Dodgers, with their mix of veteran leadership and postseason experience, are hungry to cement their dynasty. The Blue Jays, buoyed by young talent and October magic, are eager to write a new chapter in franchise history. One thing’s for sure: the 2025 World Series promises drama, intensity, and a showcase of baseball at its very best. Stay tuned—this Fall Classic is just getting started.
