The Toronto Blue Jays went into the World Series with a better record than the Los Angeles Dodgers, but viewed as the underdog even with home-field advantage. What we got is one of best Fall Classics in recent memory, with the Dodgers vs Blue Jays series going to a winner-take-all Game 7 for the title. Fittingly, a champion wasn’t declared until extra innings.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from World Series Game 7, with the Dodgers becoming the first team since the New York Yankees to repeat as World Series champions.
Winner: Bo Bichette Provides an Early Spark
Timing is everything in baseball. Bo Bichette suffered a knee injury on Sep. 8 when he sprained his PCL in a collision at home plate. The Blue Jays needed to make a run to the Fall Classic in order for him to return. Bichette had been productive up to that point, entering the World Series with a .316/.409/.316 triple-slash line but hadn’t hit a home run in a month. After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was walked in front of him, Bichette took Ohtani’s slider and deposited it 442 feet away into center field for a 3-0 lead that sent the Rogers Centre into pandemonium. Timing is everything, and Bichette will be hitting MLB free agency at the perfect time.
Loser: Shohei Ohtani Doesn’t Perform Like an All-Time Greaat
The national media certainly enjoyed the spectacular moments from Shohei Ohtani, calling him the best baseball player of all time and perhaps one of the greatest athletes in our lifetime. The thing is, though, that really put way too much focus on a single moment or two and ignored the full picture. In the World Series, Ohtani allowed 11 hits, 3 walks, and 7 earned runs (including 2 home runs) in 8.1 innings, compiling a 7.56 ERA with a 1.68 WHIP. At the plate, Ohtani had a phenomenal Game 3 (4 hits and 2 home runs), but he was just 5-for-22 in every other game of the World Series. Eight home runs in a postseason is still incredible, but the discourse surrounding Ohtani nationally also needs to acknowledge he came up short often in the Fall Classic. With that said, he’s now a two-time World Series champion and will soon be a four-time MVP.
Winner: Max Scherzer Comes Up Clutch, Makes History
A 41-year-old Max Scherzer starting in a winner-take-all World Series Game 7 isn’t what we, or anyone, expected when the season began. It’s a moment that the future Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young Award winner certainly welcomed, making history as the oldest pitcher to start in Game 7 of the Fall Classic. What the Blue Jays got is a veteran who battled his way through the Dodgers lineup, allowing just 1 run across 4.1 innings of work.
Loser: $155 Million Los Angeles Dodger Lineup with RISP
The combined salaries for Los Angeles’ batting order in Game 7 eclipsed $150 million, but this team couldn’t buy hit with runners in scoring position (1-for-11). There were countless opportunities for everyone throughout the Dodgers lineup and they seemingly always found a way to waste the run-scoring chance. Fortunately for Los Angeles, solo shots were all it needed.
Winner: Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins
Consider that Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins was very much on the hot seat coming into the 2025 season, needing this team to make a playoff run to save his job. Mission accomplished. Atkins’ fingerprints are all over this Blue Jays roster, with players who made an impact both in Game 7—George Springer (3-for-6), Bo Bichette (3-run home run), Ernie Clement (3-for-5)—and throughout the World Series (Chris Bassitt, Trey Yesavage and Addison Barger). Toronto ultimately fell short of a title, but Atkins earned himself some time.
Loser: The Bieber Name in Canada
The jokes write themselves. Given how synonymous Justin Bieber is with Canada, it felt like there would’ve been a cruel irony if Shane Bieber fell flat in one of the biggest sports moments in Toronto’s history. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, they couldn’t escape it. Bieber gave up the home run that cost Toronto a championship, and his name will live in infamy for Canada.
Winner: Max Muncy, Will Smith and Miguel Rojas
While the Dodgers’ lineup couldn’t deliver key hits with runners in scoring position, there were certainly some clutch home runs. Trailing 4-2, Max Muncy stepped to the plate and took Trey Yesavage deep to make it a one-run game and bump the postseason sensation out of the game. That helped bring in Jeff Hoffman for the 9th, with Miguel Rojas taking him deep for a game-tying homer. Evidently, clutch solo shots became the trend. Two innings later, Will Smith followed in line with a solo blast off Shane Bieber to give Los Angeles its first lead in Game 7.
Winner: World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the best player in baseball this postseason. He had a strong case for World Series MVP entering Game 7 and, in a do-or-die situation, took the mound just 24 hours after pitching the Dodgers into this winner-take-all game. Incredibly, Yamamoto pitched Los Angeles out of danger and then shut things down until the Dodgers lineup could get him a lead. Toronto tried to rally, getting a runner on third with one out, but Yamamoto induced the double-play that clinched back-to-back titles for the Dodgers.
