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The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are facing off in Game 2 of the 2025 World Series.
The Blue Jays lead the series 1-0 after a dominant 11-4 win at home yesterday. Follow below for all the news, updates and analysis from Game 2.
▶️ Nathan Lukes jumps on the first pitch and fights a cutter off into center field for a single. Toronto quickly has first and third with nobody out. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is at the dish. | Bot 1st Dodgers 1, Blue Jays 0
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto had George Springer down 0-2 before leaving a sinker down the heart of the plate. This Blue Jays team is just not missing mistakes right now.
▶️ Yoshinobu Yamamoto is making the second World Series start of his career tonight in Toronto. George Springer welcomes him to this series by ripping a middle-middle fastball into left field for a leadoff double. | Bot 1st Dodgers 1, Blue Jays 0
Some audible “oh’s” from the people here at the outdoor watch party as Freddie Freeman scores the game’s opening run. The largest cheer comes from Kevin Gausman’s strikeout of Teoscar Hernández to end the inning.
The crowd may need some innings to warm up because it is quite chilly. Currently 44.6 F (7 C) with it going down to 37.4 F (3 C).
Freddie Freeman started his career 0-for-8 against Kevin Gausman, but he finally got a hit — a home run — the most recent time he faced Gausman in the regular season. Now a two-out double tonight. Maybe he’s figured out the splitter.
The Dodgers spend a lot of money, as you may have heard. But let's not forget the way they've excelled at scouting.
Consider Will Smith, who just drove in their first run in Game 2. Smith, from the University of Louisville, was the 32nd overall pick in a very weak first round in 2016. Look now, and his 23 bWAR dwarfs everyone else taken in that first round. To be fair, the Dodgers passed over Smith with pick #20 of that draft, but they guy they took, Gavin Lux, ranks fifth in bWAR from that first round.
In between Smith and Lux are Nick Lodolo (drafted by Pittsburgh but not signed), Cal Quantrill (San Diego) and Cole Ragans (Texas). None of the first five picks, led by Mickey Moniak at No. 1 to the Phillies, have compiled even 4 bWAR. Smith was the real prize, and the Dodgers got him.
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The roof ensures the game started on time and there won’t be any rain delays. My first World Series behind the plate was 2004, Game 3. It was delayed for two hours, and it was agony! Just sat in the umpires room waiting for the rain to stop. Plate umpires have the mindset of starting pitchers before games. Have set rituals in preparing.
Q: When you’re used to hunting strikeouts but facing a team with the contact ability of the Jays, does that force a pitcher to alter his approach at all?
For the most part, the approach stays the same: Keep it simple, and throw early strikes with pitches you feel good about vs. the hitter and their swing. I think where it changes is in moments where you might normally hunt a swing and miss but now you sense it’s not a high probability. In this scenario it’s probably better to hunt a called strike or weak contact. Nowadays, not a lot of pitchers are trained to do that effectively. So, yes, it can rattle a pitcher.
▶️ Los Angeles two-out rally ends there as Gausman fans Teoscar Hernández with a sweet splitter that dips below the zone. | Mid 1st Dodgers 1, Blue Jays 0
I felt like those Freddie Freeman and Will Smith hits were Blue Jays-esque.
What a start to this game for Freddie Freeman, on the first anniversary of his Game 1 walk-off grand slam last year, no less!
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Eight-pitch battle by Freddie Freeman. In games like this, those types of at-bats can be minor inflection points.
That was a heck of an at-bat from Freddie Freeman to spoil several two-strike pitches from Kevin Gausman before he doubled down the line. Will Smith followed with a single and once again, the Dodgers jump out first.
▶️ The Dodgers score first! Will Smith stays on a slider off the plate and lines it up the middle driving home Freeman. Impressive piece of hitting to stay back on that pitch away. | Top 1st Dodgers 1, Blue Jays 0
▶️ As you would expect, Freddie Freeman provides a quality at-bat, seeing eight pitches from Gausman before yanking a splitter below the zone down the right field line for a two-out double. | Top 1st Dodgers 0, Blue Jays 0
Kevin Gausman working down in the zone almost exclusively so far. Home plate ump Adrian Johnson was giving him some borderline low strikes.
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▶️ Similar to Ohtani, Mookie Betts earns himself a hittable fastball against Gausman but gets under it, flying out into the right field corner. Two away. | Top 1st Dodgers 0, Blue Jays 0
▶️ Gausman challenges Ohtani with a fastball that catches plenty of plate on 0-2 and wins, getting the Dodgers star to line out to Nathan Lukes in the left field corner. | Top 1st Dodgers 0, Blue Jays 0
The “We don’t need you” chants are back for Shohei Ohtani. Jays fans really testing fate.