On a night when baseball history seemed determined to rewrite itself, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays delivered a World Series epic for the ages. Game 3, played on October 27, 2025, at Dodger Stadium, stretched across 18 innings and more than six and a half hours, ultimately ending with a thunderous walk-off home run from Freddie Freeman. But if you thought the drama belonged to just one man, think again. This was a contest bursting at the seams with unforgettable moments, jaw-dropping records, and the kind of resilience that defines October baseball.
The Dodgers’ 6-5 victory gave them a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series, but that’s only the beginning of the story. The game tied the record for the longest postseason contest in Major League Baseball history by innings, matching four other 18-inning classics. Yet, it was the individual feats—especially those of Shohei Ohtani—that truly elevated this marathon to legendary status.
Ohtani, the Dodgers’ two-way superstar, turned in a performance that defied belief. In his first seven plate appearances, he racked up two home runs and two doubles, tying a 119-year-old record for most extra-base hits in a World Series game. But he didn’t stop there. By the time the dust settled, Ohtani had reached base in all nine of his plate appearances—something no major leaguer had done in any game, postseason or otherwise, in 83 years. The Blue Jays, desperate to stop the onslaught, intentionally walked him four times, making Ohtani the first player ever to receive four intentional passes in a postseason game.
“I want to go to sleep as soon as possible so I can get ready,” Ohtani said with a grin through his interpreter, referencing his scheduled start as pitcher in Game 4—less than 17 hours after the marathon ended. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts echoed the exhaustion, admitting, “It’s one of the greatest World Series games of all time. Emotional. I’m spent emotionally.”
The action was relentless from the start. Teoscar Hernandez opened the scoring for the Dodgers with a home run in the second inning, quickly followed by Ohtani’s solo shot in the third. But the Blue Jays responded in the fourth, taking advantage of a fielding error by Tommy Edman to put two men on base. Alejandro Kirk, who caught 11 innings before being lifted for a pinch runner, blasted his second homer of the series—a three-run shot that gave Toronto a 3-2 lead. Andres Gimenez’s sacrifice fly stretched it to 4-2, and suddenly the Dodgers were playing catch-up.
Max Scherzer, the Blue Jays’ veteran starter, made history of his own by becoming the first man to pitch in the World Series for four different teams. He exited in the fifth, and the Dodgers pounced. Ohtani’s third hit of the night plated Enrique Hernandez, and Freeman drove in Ohtani to tie things at 4-4. The pendulum swung back in the seventh when Bo Bichette’s line drive allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to score, but Ohtani—again—answered with his second homer, knotting the score at 5-5. That was his sixth homer in the last four postseason games, tying Corey Seager’s Dodgers record for most home runs in a single postseason.
What followed was a war of attrition. No runs were scored between the seventh and 18th innings. Both teams stranded runners in scoring position time and again, with the Dodgers’ Will Smith catching all 18 innings and handling a parade of ten pitchers. “The grit to stay back there, and he got hit in the hand in like the 17th. It was amazing to watch. He never took a pitch off. That’s who he is,” said reliever Emmett Sheehan.
The Blue Jays, for their part, threw everything they had at the Dodgers. Manager John Schneider cycled through his bullpen, including a heroic 4⅔ innings from Eric Lauer. Closer Jeff Hoffman worked two innings, and the position players were shuffled with pinch runners and defensive changes. George Springer, who was booed throughout by Dodgers fans for his role in the Astros’ 2017 World Series win, left the game in the seventh with a right side injury, casting doubt on his availability for the rest of the series.
Fatigue was a constant companion. Dodgers reliever Will Klein threw 72 pitches, double his usual workload. Clayton Kershaw, the legendary lefty in his final postseason before retirement, made a cameo from the bullpen, retiring one batter in extra innings and soaking in the moment. “You don’t ever plan on playing 18 innings,” Roberts admitted. “You just kind of ask more from the player.”
As the innings dragged on, Ohtani’s impact only grew. After his four-hit barrage, the Blue Jays repeatedly took the bat out of his hands. “He’s a great player, but I think after that, you just kind of take the bat out of his hands,” Schneider said. Yet even without a chance to swing, Ohtani’s presence loomed large, forcing Toronto’s pitchers to work around him and giving his teammates opportunities—though they couldn’t capitalize until the very end.
Finally, with both benches depleted and the clock ticking past midnight, Freeman stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 18th. On the first pitch he saw from Brendon Little, Freeman launched a towering shot over center field, sending Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. The win not only gave the Dodgers a crucial series lead but also set the stage for Ohtani’s highly anticipated start in Game 4.
“What matters the most is we won,” Ohtani said, ever the consummate teammate. “And what I accomplished today is in the context of this game, and what matters the most is we flip the page and play the next game.”
With the series shifting into its critical stages, the question now is how both teams will recover. The Dodgers’ bullpen is worn thin, and Ohtani, after nine trips around the bases, will take the mound with little rest. The Blue Jays face injury questions and a battered roster but remain resolute. As Roberts put it, “We’ve got a ballgame later tonight, which is crazy.”
Game 4 promises more high drama as Ohtani tries to add another chapter to his already astonishing postseason. For now, Dodgers fans can savor a victory that was as much about endurance and heart as it was about home runs and history. The World Series is far from over, and after a night like this, anything feels possible.
