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Dodger Stadium hosts World Series baseball for the final time in 2025 as Los Angeles takes on the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5.
The Blue Jays tied up the series 2-2 with a 6-2 win last night — a perfect response to their loss in the 18-inning marathon 24 hours earlier.
Now we get to find out who will head to Toronto with a series lead and one game away from becoming world champions.
Dodgers lineup: Ohtani DH, Smith C, Betts SS, Freeman 1B, T. Hernández RF, Edman 2B, Muncy 3B, K. Hernández CF, Call LF, Snell LHP
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This week’s live schedule at The Athletic
The Blue Jays still wait on George Springer’s status ahead of Game 5. He swung in the cage and ran on the field. Blue Jays want him to hit velo, too.
“Looked good. I think we got to just see how he feels in a little bit,” John Schneider said.
Addison Barger and Bo Bichette will be in Toronto’s lineup today regardless of Springer’s status.
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Magic Johnson lays out the stakes, and Kevin Gausman can only agree.
Dave Roberts said “we’ll see” where Shohei Ohtani could fit into their pitching plans in Games 6 and 7. Hasn’t discussed that with him yet.
Ohtani told Japanese media last night he is preparing to pitch in relief in Toronto.
No one’s getting a trophy tonight.
Rather than slip to the edge of elimination, the Toronto Blue Jays pulled even last night. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered and the rest of the lineup was its usual, relentless self, beating the Blue Jays 6-2 and knotting the World Series at two games apiece. Someone will move to the verge of a championship, but neither team can win the whole thing tonight.
We’ll be here whatever happens.
Our World Series live coverage rolls on tonight with our usual team of reporters on the ground at Dodger Stadium, and our nightly complement of former players and umpires providing in-game analysis and insight. Each team is turning to its Game 1 starter tonight, so we’re basically starting over, a best-of-three to win a ring. Thanks for joining us. We’ll be with you the rest of the way.
💬 Stephen R.: So here we are all tied up at two but amazing to think about how easily this series could be 3-1 for the Jays if the coin-flip 18-inning game goes the other way. Anyway, the Jays are never-quit grinders and are wearing the Dodgers down one at-bat at a time – heart over talent.
💬 Katz J.: I am very happy to hear AM 570 radio taking the Dodgers to task right now. Lots of frustration with how bad Pages is, lots of credit being given to the Jays' bottom of the lineup for having productive at-bats and on and on.
💬 Chris M.: Biggest question about tonight is whether Yesavage has his nasty splitter. Jays need his A+ stuff to get the dub.
💬 Mr M.: Pulling for Toronto, but I’m worried about their rookie starter tonight with just 33 career MLB innings. On another note, maybe we’ll see an intentional walk with the bases loaded this series. What would it take? 8-2 Toronto, bottom of 8th, bases loaded? 8-6 Toronto?
💬 Toddinkorea2014: All we need is for Snell and Yamamoto to each pitch complete game shutouts and the Dodgers win the World Series.
We’re back to a tie in the World Series, and we’re headed back to the Game 1 matchup: two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell starting opposite Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage. Whoever wins Game 5 at Dodger Stadium will put their team one win from clinching the championship when the series returns to Toronto.
Yesavage was not particularly sharp in Game 1 but pitched well enough to keep the Jays in it, allowing two runs over four innings before manager John Schneider turned to the bullpen ahead of the Dodgers’ third turn through the order. Schneider was emboldened to let Shane Bieber pitch to Shohei Ohtani in Game 4, but he may be more cautious with young Yesavage on the mound in Game 5.
The Dodgers’ patience impacted Yesavage in his last start, as their unwillingness to chase forced him to shelf the splitter (his best pitch) for a time and focus on firing strikes.
After nothing but brilliance in his first three starts this postseason, Snell was humbled in Game 1 when, after getting clipped by a Daulton Varsho homer early, he put three runners on base starting off the sixth inning to jumpstart a nine-run rally. Snell is undoubtedly the best pitcher in this Game 5 matchup, yet the Blue Jays got a good look at him just a few days ago and did not come away fearing one of the game’s most ferocious lefty.
We’re in for a good one tonight.
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After the draining marathon of Game 3, the Dodgers were poised to take full control of the series in Game 4. But before first pitch on Tuesday night, the Blue Jays were calm in the clubhouse, playing video games and treating a near must-win World Series game like it was just another mid-summer matchup.
Then they went out and won the thing.
The Blue Jays tied the series with their usual brand of relentless, contact-oriented offense and an ability to get just what they needed from their pitching staff. Here’s Ken Rosenthal on the Blue Jays win:
It’s tempting to call Toronto’s 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the Series on Tuesday night the most Jays thing ever, except these guys basically just viewed it as Game No. 177, and wore their baseball caps as blinders.
Great teams in all sports take pride in their resiliency. The Jays, however, seem to relish their ability to perform with their heads in a figurative vise. And in Game 4, that vise could not have been squeezed any tighter.
Not that the Jays showed it.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base three times, including a go-ahead home run. Shane Bieber pitched into the sixth inning. Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger and Ernie Clement had two hits apiece. The tired bullpen pitched out of a jam and had enough to get through the final 3 1/3 innings. Just a typical Blue Jays victory, right when they desperately needed it.
Once again, let’s just pull some words from Andy McCullough to set the scene and capture the moment.
On a night when Shohei Ohtani could not be subdued, on a night when one of baseball’s cathedrals offered its entrants a baptism in the sport’s capacity for agony and ecstasy, on a night when the shame that the game had to end morphed into the fear that it never would, the Los Angeles Dodgers captured control of the World Series in a 6-5 Game 3 victory in 18 innings over the Toronto Blue Jays.
It started as a fairly normal back-and-forth that settled into a late-night stalemate. A couple of home runs gave the Dodgers an early lead, then the Blue Jays came back with a four-running inning. Ohtani and Freddie Freeman combined to tie the game, then Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sprinted around the bases to put the Blue Jays back in front. Ohtani tied it again with his second home run of the night.
And that was just the first eight innings. The game would go 10 more until Freeman’s walk-off homer in the 18th. A true World Series epic.
Two things the Dodgers needed to improve in Game 1: they had to minimize the exposure of their short-handed bullpen while containing the contact-heavy Blue Jays lineup. They checked both boxes with one man.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto fired the first World Series complete game since 2015, and he became the first pitcher to throw consecutive postseason complete games since Curt Schilling in 2001.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said:
💬 “His emotional heartbeat, however you want to say it, doesn’t seem fazed. Given the situation, given the magnitude of these games, given what we were coming off last night, it’s remarkable.”
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman was also excellent and retired 17 straight at one point, but Dodgers catcher Will Smith had three RBIs including a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning.
After being knocked back on their heels in Game 1, the Dodgers pulled even by winning 5-1 in Game 2 before taking home field advantage into Monday’s Game 3.
Ohtani DH, Smith C, Betts SS, Freeman 1B, T. Hernández RF, Edman 2B, Muncy 3B, K. Hernández CF, Call LF, Snell LHP
Mookie Betts hasn't hit third in the order since 2021, which is also the last time he started and wasn't in either of the first two spots in the batting order.
Betts is running a .688 OPS this postseason, and is 3-for-19 in this World Series.
So much for the narrative that the Dodgers were going to run away with this thing. I loved the first line of Andy McCullough’s excellent Game 1 game story.
The plot to ruin baseball hit a snag on Friday night.
Indeed, the Blue Jays were not only outmatched by the high-spending Dodgers, but they actually destroyed the Dodgers in an 11-4 blowout that included a nine-run sixth inning, exposing the Dodgers’ bullpen vulnerability and highlighting the depth of the Blue Jays’ lineup.
What’s that? You’d never heard of Addison Barger or Nathan Lukes, and were only vaguely aware that Alejandro Kirk can hit a little?
Well, overlook them no longer, because the Blue Jays spend some money too — and they came to play.
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Will the Dodgers take a World Series lead to Toronto? What do the Blue Jays need from tonight following their Game 4 win?
And who will ultimately win the World Series?
We’d love to hear all your thoughts, opinions and predictions. Email us at live@theathletic.com and we will publish the best submissions right here.
We cannot wait to see what you’ve got for us …
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Game 5 of the World Series will be played at one of the most iconic ballparks in all of baseball.
Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine, just north of downtown Los Angeles, will host World Series games for the fourth time in eight years. It opened in April 1962 and has been the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers ever since.
It has hosted two All-Star Games and the World Series 12 times, including this year.
The capacity of Dodger Stadium is 56,000 — highest in Major League Baseball. No wonder past Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda called Dodger Stadium “Blue Heaven on Earth!”
Below is the full schedule for the Fall Classic — with all remaining games set to start at 8 p.m. ET …
*if necessary
Tonight’s Blue Jays-Dodgers Game 5 of the World Series is on Fox in the U.S. Joe Davis (play-by-play), John Smoltz (color), The Athletic’s senior MLB writer Ken Rosenthal (field reporter) and Tom Verducci (field reporter) will be on the call.
In Canada, Rogers Sportsnet will have the Blue Jays-focused local broadcast. Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Buck Martinez (color) and Hazel Mae (field reporter) will be on the call.
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Game 5 of the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays is set for 8 p.m. ET.
That’s 5 p.m. PT, local time in Los Angeles.
We go again! A very good day to you all and welcome along to our live coverage of Game 5 in what has been a fabulous World Series so far.
After the Monday night epic over 18 innings that saw the Los Angeles Dodgers edge ahead for the first time this series, the Toronto Blue Jays came up with the perfect response last night to take Game 4 and tie things up.
What’s in store for us tonight as the 2025 season signs off from Dodgers Stadium before the World Series heads back to Toronto? We’re going to have a lot of fun finding out.
Your favorite correspondents and baseball writers at The Athletic are here to deliver the best buildup and pitch-by-pitch coverage of tonight’s ballgame, right through to the fallout once the dust begins to settle on the outcome — we’ve got you covered with all of it, right here.
Don’t go anywhere.