2025 World Series: A story good enough for a Taylor Swift ballad

Disclaimer: The authors of this article are Reds and Mariners fans, and are still grieving the season. Dramatic? Probably. Still wanting to talk baseball? Always.

Told differently year after year, getting to the World Series continues to be the most romantic story in sports. This year’s story was one of epic proportions, rivaling Taylor Swift’s evermore. Let’s take a look back at the road to the World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

Are you ready for it? No, Taylor, we weren’t. Fantasy baseball teams scrambled to join leagues, pay dues, and set line-ups before the first series of the 2025 season. The MLB season kicked off on March 18th with a two game series between the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan. In the days leading up to the Cubs-Dodgers two game series, the Cubs and Dodgers also played a total of 4 exhibition games. The series was the most watched MLB series of all time in Japan and hit as much as 25 million worldwide viewers. Plenty of celebs made the trip to Tokyo including: Bill Murray (did he bust any ghosts?), the femininomenon Billie Jean King, Basketball legend Magic Johnson, and Jack White from the White Stripes. Former MLB players were also on site including Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Andruw Jones, and Joey Votto. Oh, and, Pikachu of course. The Dodgers went on to win both games in the series, a sign that Dodgers were picking up right where they left off. 

Shohei had his second Tommy John surgery just a few short months before Los Angeles signed him to his blockbuster of a contract at the end of 2023. Given the strength of their pitching rotation, the Dodgers were able to let Shohei extend his rehab a bit longer. During his rehab, he was able to play as a designated hitter for the team throughout the 2024 season and the start of the 2025 season. Finally in June of 2025, Shohei made his highly anticipated first start as a pitcher for the Dodgers. Shohei finished the regular season with a stat line like no other two way player before him. Across 14 games pitched he threw for 62 strikeouts, an ERA of 2.87, and a WHIP of 1.04. While in over 600 plate appearances he put up a batting average of .282, an on base percentage of 1.014 and cranked out a whopping 55 home runs.

Meanwhile, back in Toronto, their story looked to be a repeat of the past seasons. In 2024, Toronto finished the season 74-88, their first losing record since 2019. Bo Bichette, their star shortstop, was plagued with injuries this season, landing on the IR 3 times this year. Bichette’s last stretch on the IR was due to a sprained knee at the start of September, and he wouldn’t return until game 1 of the World Series. Pitching was a mashup of bangers and flops. Most notably, starting pitcher Shane Bieber (no relation to Justin, BTW) was recovering from Tommy John and didn’t return until August 22nd. And Max Scherzer had a stint on IL between March and June. The numerous pitching injuries throughout the season would open up a once in a lifetime opportunity for one of the unsung heroes of the playoffs: Trey Yesavage whose MLB debut was this past September! Yesavage transitioned to Toronto on such a short timeline that he never had time to find a place to rent in Toronto. Instead, he lived out of his suitcases at hotels, and packed his belongings in his truck for away games. We’re hoping he gets to move into a more permanent housing situation in the off-season! 

Injuries weren’t the only problem in Toronto. In the Year of the Big Dumper, they continued to fly under the radar of national media. Their baserunning waivered, sometimes being too aggressive, and other times making minor league level mistakes. When they were being highlighted by the media, they were critiqued for leaving runners on base and not getting runs when they needed them most. However, despite the injuries and the critiques, Toronto would go on to finish the season 94-68, demolishing their record from the previous season. They were tied with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East, but Toronto ultimately held the tie breaker. 

Champagne Playoffs. BIG SIGH (see disclaimer).

In the National League, at first glance the Dodgers certainly didn’t have the easiest road to get to the World Series. But once they made the playoffs, it seemed like a trip to the World Series was inevitable. The previous World Series champions landed themselves in the Wild Card, sweeping the Cincinnati Reds in 2 games. They went on to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 in the NLDS, ending the series in 4 games. Next up, the Milwaukee Brewers, one of the most impressive teams of the 2025 season. At the start of the series, the two teams had equal chances of moving on to the next round, but the Dodgers would make quick work of the Brewers in the NLCS, ending the series in the minimum of 4 games. 

Toronto was treated to a bye due to having the tiebreaker over New York. However, the Yankees would end up being their first competition in the ALDS after beating Boston in their wild card series 2-1. Toronto proved just how competitive they were as they beat the Yankees in 4 games with their impressive offense putting up a whopping 34 runs in 4 games. 

Next up would be their greatest competition: the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS. Both franchises have been in long draughts. The Mariners have never made a World Series appearance, while Toronto hadn’t seen the World Series since 1993. The series went on for a grueling 7 games. The Mariners bested the Blue Jays in Toronto for the first two games, but the Blue Jays treated Mariners fans to a hitting exhibition, putting up a total of 21 runs in games 3 and 4 in Seattle. (This Mariners fan treated herself to an early traffic-free exit after the first 11 runs in game 3). In game 5, Seattle appeared to come back to life, beating Toronto 2-6. Finally in Toronto, game 7, George Springer ripped the hearts out of Seattle Hopefuls and stomped on them not once, not twice, but three times to take the lead and ultimately win the ALCS. The Blue Jays were officially headed to the World Series for the first time in 32 years against a well-rested Dodgers team who had wrapped up the NLCS three days prior to the end of the ALCS. 

The ERAs Tour: MLB Edition (The World Series) 

For the first time since 2019, the World Series went on for all seven games, and baseball fans everywhere were treated with some of the greatest pitching, batting, and defensive performances we’ve seen all year. Both teams carried the weight of entire countries on their back as the Dodgers fought to keep the trophy of America’s favorite pastime in America, while the Blue Jays to achieve what no Canadian team has achieved in the MLB or NHL since 1993. 

Game 1 of the World Series kicked off with a historic moment as Addision Barger hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in history, leading the Blue Jays to an 11-4 victory over the Dodgers, setting the stage for the exciting series. The Dodgers responded accordingly in game 2, pitching Yoshinobu Yamamoto who delivered a complete game and winning 5-1. The North American continent watched through sleepy eyes for game 3 which became an instant classic for its 18 innings. As one of the longest games in World Series history, it was ended by the one and only Freddie Freeman hitting a walk-off homerun. The Blue Jays demonstrated resilience as they bounced back with a 6-2 victory, tying the series 2-2. Game 5 must’ve felt like ground hogs day for the Dodgers as the Blue Jays went on to win 6-1.

The Blue Jays had a golden opportunity to win the World Series during Game 6. Going into the bottom of the 9th inning, they were down 3-1. They quickly loaded up second and third with no outs. Flashbacks to their season’s difficulties with run scoring re-appeared with a game-ending double play due to a sharp, shallow pop up to left field. And just like that the Dodgers managed to force the final game of the series.

Game 7 was yet another game of the ages. The Blue Jays took an early lead when Bo Bichette hit a 3-run bomb against Ohtani. Bichette joined the team for the World Series despite fighting a left knee injury. After just 51 pitches, Ohtani was benched for the night. Of course, the drama didn’t end there. In the fourth inning, we nearly had a bench and bullpen clearing brawl over a couple of wild pitches. The scuffle led to the umpires issuing warnings to both teams before resuming the game. Max Muncy narrowed Toronto’s 4-3 lead with a solo homerun in the 8th, highlighting the strength of this Dodgers team at every single position. Miguel Rojas went on to tie the game with a homerun in the 9th, sending the game into extra innings. 

The extra innings were all about good defense. After throwing 96 pitches the night before, Yamamoto carried the Dodgers defense through the remaining innings, illustrating his importance to the team. Catcher Will Smith entered the World Series history books for most innings caught in a single World Series with 74. He also put an end to that by hitting a solo shot in the 11th. The Dodgers would end the game in the bottom of the 11th when Yamamoto induced a game-ending 6-6-3 double play from a broken bat hit from Toronto’s catcher, Alejandro Kirk, sealing Yamamoto’s well-earned title of WS MVP. LA wrapped up the MLB season as the first back-to-back World Series Champions since the New York Yankees 98-00 three-peat. The Dodgers started in Tokyo and ended in Toronto, making a world tour almost as big as the Eras Tour.

And that concludes another year of baseball. We’d like to thank everyone that participated in fantasy baseball, with a special shoutout to all of the commissioners. If you’d like to participate next year, join our baseball channel on Discord. We’re already looking forward to and planning for next year!