{"id":170320,"date":"2025-11-02T05:55:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T05:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/dodgers-repeat-as-world-series-champions-behind-mvp-yoshinobu-yamamoto-will-smith-hr-the-athletic-the-new-york-times\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T05:55:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T05:55:26","slug":"dodgers-repeat-as-world-series-champions-behind-mvp-yoshinobu-yamamoto-will-smith-hr-the-athletic-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/dodgers-repeat-as-world-series-champions-behind-mvp-yoshinobu-yamamoto-will-smith-hr-the-athletic-the-new-york-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers repeat as World Series champions behind MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Will Smith HR – The Athletic – The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Updated 7m ago<\/span>
Building a sports dynasty is supposed to be difficult. It should demand more than a singular talent, a massive payroll, and a clear path to a championship. A dynasty has to be earned, and the Los Angeles Dodgers earned it Saturday night in a Game 7 for the ages.
They didn\u2019t have a lead until past midnight in the 11th inning, but they held on to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 to clinch their second consecutive championship and bring an epic World Series to a fitting and monumental conclusion.
On the mound at the end was Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/strong>, pitching on zero days\u2019 rest after starting Game 6. The winning blow came from catcher Will Smith<\/strong>, a homegrown Dodgers superstar, who hit a go-ahead home run in the 11th. No. 9 hitter Miguel Rojas<\/strong>, who wasn\u2019t even in the lineup the first five games of this series, hit a game-tying home run with one out in the ninth. The game ended with a double play, Mookie Betts <\/strong>to Freddie Freeman<\/strong>, two of the cornerstones of a team that has now won three of the past six World Series.
\u201cWe know how to win tough games, we know how to win blowouts,\u201d Betts said in a TV interview. \u201cWe just know how to win.\u201d
The Dodgers were the favorites and had been, basically, since Opening Day. They won the World Series last year and spent nearly $500 million in the offseason to try to win it again. Because of their excess \u2014 their payroll, their star power, their 13 straight trips to the playoffs \u2014 the Dodgers have an annual expectation of something close to perfection, yet their flaws were exposed, especially in this series.
The Dodgers\u2019 depleted bullpen held the line in Game 3 but couldn\u2019t control the damage in Games 1, 4 and 6. The Blue Jays outhit them. Even the Dodgers\u2019 greatest strength, their rotation, was outmatched. The Blue Jays\u2019 rotation had more strikeouts, a lower WHIP, and a better ERA in the series.
But the Dodgers still won because of both their superstars and their role players. The Blue Jays pushed them to the brink, forcing them to win Games 6 and 7 on the road in Toronto. Betts, who\u2019d been stone cold, delivered a big hit in Game 6. Max Muncy, who\u2019d also not hit much this series, went 3-for-4 with an eighth-inning home run in Game 7. Rojas\u2019s game-tying homer was his first hit in a month and only his second home run since the middle of July. Andy Pages \u2014 who\u2019d been benched due to lack of production in the postseason \u2014 made a game-saving catch in center field that prevented a Blue Jays walk-off in the bottom of the ninth.
This World Series was already being hailed as one of the greatest in history, and that was before this showstopper of a finale.
Blue Jays DH George Springer, playing through an injury that had sidelined him in Games 4 and 5, had three hits in the game including a leadoff single off Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani in the third inning. Three batters later, Bo Bichette, a free agent in a few days, hit a three-run homer that, for most of the night, seemed destined to be a game-winner. Bichette later singled in what might have been his final Blue Jays at-bat.
The Dodgers chipped away at the lead, but they still trailed 4-3 in the ninth when Rojas hit his go-ahead home run. A half inning later, the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, giving themselves two chances to walk off with a championship. But with Yamamoto inducing a groundball and Rojas throwing home for the second out of the inning before center fielder Pages made a dramatic, inning-ending catch while crashing into left fielder Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez.
The Dodgers blew their own bases-loaded opportunity in the 10th, but Yamamoto just kept pitching until Smith hit his go-ahead homer and Freeman caught the final out.
It was not the easy victory many predicted seven months ago, or even a week ago. The Dodgers had to fight for it. They had to earn it. They were pushed to the brink and came out with a ring.
Miguel Rojas<\/strong> gets emotional as he\u2019s interviewed by Tom Verducci at Fox. On his game-tying home run in the ninth:
\u201cI was never trying to hit a home run. I think that was the first home run off a right-handed pitcher during the whole year. And it game in the biggest spot of my life and my career. … I can\u2019t really describe right now the emotions that I felt, not just tying the game but giving the opportunity to bring in Yamamoto for another spectacular performance. That guy is everything you can ask for. I have to put my teammates in front of me. I wasn\u2019t able to do whatever I did today without the confidence of Doc (Dave Roberts), my teammates and everyone who believed in me.<\/em><\/strong>
And on his game-saving throw in the bottom of the ninth:
\u201cOn this turf, you can\u2019t really be aggressive going forward because the ball always bounces more than what you expect. I took a bad route, went back, as soon as I planted my feet, I knew I had to make a perfect throw to the plate. It\u2019s been an unbelievable two days for me defensively. Obviously hitting the homer, but for me, I\u2019m way more proud of my defense and what I can do for my team at second base, shortstop, third base. It\u2019s a great feeling, man. <\/em><\/strong>
\u201cWe\u2019re here winning the World Series in Game 7, and I just said it yesterday, the Dodgers have been doing so much for baseball the last two years. People should be really proud of the organization. Traveling, making history, playing the longest season ever. We just played for nine months. We started the year in Japan, and now we\u2019re finishing the year in Canada. We can\u2019t wait to go out there in LA and represent our fans and bring you the trophy again. Back-to-back for the first time in 25 years. How does that sound?\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
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The instant Game 6 ended, it was clear every arm would be available for Game 7. Every bullet resting in the chamber could be fired at any moment. The Jays unleashed them all.
After Max Scherzer\u2019s<\/strong> 4 1\/3 innings, manager Schneider handed the ball from deadline acquisition Louis Varland <\/strong>to former-starter Chris Bassitt<\/strong> to rookie Trey Yesavage<\/strong>. Then, Jeff Hoffman<\/strong> was tasked with the last out of the eighth inning and then the ninth. When the games mattered most and the season rested on the line, Hoffman remained the guy. Tasked with four outs, Hoffman inched Rogers Centre closer to an explosive celebration. Then, two outs away, Rojas unleashed a homer. He silenced the crowd. So the chaos kept coming.
The Jays turned to Seranthony Dom\u00ednguez<\/strong>, who warmed up three times earlier in the game. The righty escaped a stressful bases-loaded jam in the 10th before the game turned to another starter, Shane Bieber.
After handling his first two batters, Bieber left a slider over the heart of the plate. Will Smith<\/strong> sent it to the same left-field seats that Rojas\u2019 homer arrived in two innings before. It filled the stadium, once again, with silence. It was the final blow.
It\u2019s hard to fault the Dodgers\u2019 approach in building innings. They struck three different balls 100 mph in the first inning off of Max Scherzer<\/strong>, then really stressed him in the fourth to load the bases. They were aggressive, even if it meant keeping Scherzer\u2019s pitch count down \u2014 he\u2019d wind up only throwing 54 pitches over 4 1\/3 innings. They just never got the big hit to knock him out of the game \u2014 partially because of the Blue Jays\u2019 glovework behind him in the fourth.
The chances kept coming against Toronto\u2019s relievers, but they couldn\u2019t do more than just chip away. Louis Varland\u2019s <\/strong>fifth time facing the Dodgers this series stranded a pair of baserunners. Chris Bassitt<\/strong> avoided disaster, getting Miguel Rojas<\/strong> to ground out with two on, two out and Shohei Ohtani <\/strong>on deck.
That allowed the Blue Jays to go to rookie Trey Yesavage<\/strong> in an ideal spot. Yesavage fell behind in the count to all three batters he faced, and still put up a zero when Freddie Freeman grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The Dodgers\u2019 offense was a problem for most of Game 7 \u2026 until it wasn\u2019t.
So how would Addison Barger<\/strong> handle the aftermath of his baserunning mishap that ended Game 6? It sure didn\u2019t hurt his hitting. Barger, bumped up to fifth in the Blue Jays\u2019 lineup, singled off Ohtani in his first at-bat and greeted Justin Wrobleski with a single in his next. Barger \u2013 a career .229 hitter \u2013 batted .480 in the World Series and led both teams in hits with 12. He nearly tied the record for hits in a World Series \u2014 13, shared by Bobby Richardson (1960), Lou Brock (1968) and Marty Barrett (1986). All of those efforts came for the losing team.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/strong> bounced to his feet, throwing both fists together as he roared. The first baseman kept screaming as he ran to Toronto\u2019s dugout, a chain flailing around his neck. Guerrero ended the top of the fourth inning with a diving catch into foul territory, repeating Daulton Varsho\u2019s defensive brilliance from moments before.
With the Dodgers loading the bases, Varsho sprinted in on a sinking line drive. Had the ball snuck under Varsho\u2019s glove on his diving attempt, it could\u2019ve cleared the bases and erased Toronto\u2019s lead. Instead, the Gold Glove outfielder picked it off the turf to snatch an out. For a team that built a core on fielding excellence, Toronto\u2019s gloves arrived on the biggest stage. With two stolen outs in the fourth inning alone, the Jays escaped a jam holding a 3-1 lead. But, ultimately, the Jays couldn\u2019t catch balls over the wall.
And with L.A. beating Toronto, you know they had to feature some Kendrick Lamar…
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Red warning signs could have gone off in the first inning for Shohei Ohtani<\/strong>, who touched 99 mph in the frame but struggled to locate any of his secondary offerings. The adrenaline clearly got his velocity up while pitching on short rest for the first time since a second elbow ligament reconstruction, but fatigue has a greater effect on command. He was able to locate just three of his nine non-fastballs in the strike zone in his first inning of work, dealing with traffic after a George Springer leadoff single.
He had to work through a bases-loaded jam in the second inning that required him simply reaching back and blowing a fastball past Andr\u00e9s Gim\u00e9nez.
Ohtani returned to face the Blue Jays\u2019 lineup a second time anyway. He lasted four batters, which included spiking a splitter for a wild pitch. The final blow: a hanging slider that Bichette pummeled out to center.
Bo Bichette<\/strong> watched. Held out due to his busted knee, Bichette watched Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/strong> pound the Yankees in the ALDS. He watched George Springer\u2019s<\/strong> series-winning blast in the ALCS. He was relegated to spectator for almost the entire Blue Jays postseason push, as his teammates authored October moments.
In the third inning, Bichette watched once more. He stood in the box, letting the bat knob slip out of his hand as he stared at the scorched ball sail 442 feet through the air. His moment arrived in the biggest game of his life and the most significant contest of the Blue Jays\u2019 season. He sent fans into raucous pandemonium before starting his jog, on one healthy knee, around the bases.
Bichette is a pending free agent. He\u2019s talked about wanting to stay in Toronto for the rest of his life. But, before Game 6, the infielder admitted that at times this year, he\u2019d thought about this potentially being the end of his Toronto tenure. If Game 7 ends up being Bichette\u2019s last with the Jays, he ended with the biggest of bangs. But it wasn\u2019t enough. Removed for a pinch runner late, he ended the game like his October started: watching.<\/p>\n

After Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, Miguel Rojas <\/strong>was among the last Dodgers to linger on the field. It had been a circuitous 12 years for him, from signing with the Dodgers as a minor-league free agent after being let go by the Cincinnati Reds, to debuting as a utility player and hero in Clayton Kershaw\u2019s 2014 no-hitter, to being dealt away to Miami in one of Andrew Friedman\u2019s first moves running Dodgers baseball operations.
He returned in 2023, was the emergency everyday shortstop that season and has been a valued veteran in a star-laden clubhouse. His start in Game 6 of this series was his first in 25 days. He will be a free agent at year\u2019s end for the first time ahead of what he\u2019s already said will be his final season. In Game 7, it was his swing in the ninth inning off Jeff Hoffman that kept the Dodgers alive, and his slick defensive play with the bases loaded and one out, firing home just in time to once again come through at the biggest moment.
MVP: Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/strong>
A tremendous performance in any context. Yamamoto entered with two on and one out in the ninth, the score tied and promptly hit a batter to load the bases. But Yamamoto got out of that jam, then set the side down in order in the 10th, and he got the double play ball he needed in the 11th. An incredible outing under such pressure with no margin for error.
But Yamamoto did it just one day after starting Game 6. His pitching line for the World Series: 17 2\/3 innings, 1.02 ERA, 15 strikeouts, 2 walks.
Turned out, the middle infielder who provided for the Dodgers was second baseman Miguel Rojas<\/strong>. He hit the game-tying home run in the top of the ninth, then made the play that help the Dodgers escape a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers managed to win this series with Mookie Betts<\/strong> hitting just .138 without an extra-base hits and only two RBIs. Game 7 was a wild one, and the Dodgers won it in a series of unexpected ways.
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The Dodgers used six different pitchers in this game, and every one of them worked as a starting pitcher at some point this season. Actual Game 7 starter Shohei Ohtani <\/strong>and starter-turned-reliever Tyler Glasnow<\/strong> each pitched 2 1\/3 innings, but truly, the secret was more specific than maximizing the rotation. It was maximizing Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/strong>, who pitched 2 2\/3 innings of scoreless relief just one day after starting Game 6. It was a performance that earned him the series MVP award.
Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer<\/strong> had struggled in the first inning this season, and that seemed to be an ideal time to take control of this time. Shohei Ohtani<\/strong> did start the game with a single, but the Dodgers left him stranded and instead took their first lead in the 11th. Jump on the starter early? Not at all.
Will Smith<\/strong> gets to join the elite club of players who have hit a World Series-winning home run. Here he is with Ken Rosenthal on Fox moments after the final out…
\u201cTo be able to come in clutch, that was huge. You dream of those moments. Extra innings to put your team ahead. I\u2019ll remember that one forever.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
His perspective of Yoshinobu Yamamoto\u2019s performance tonight:
\u201cHe\u2019s the MVP of this series. That was incredible. I talked to him yesterday, I said \u2018Hey, if you can give us one (inning), we\u2019re gonna win. He gave us three! That was special.<\/em><\/strong>
\u201cSpecial group of guys, man. We just never gave up. Kept fighting. Pitching our asses off. Hitting. Taking great at-bats. Finally punched through there. That was a fight. For seven games. That\u2019s a really good Toronto Blue Jays team. Man, I\u2019m just excited. There\u2019s nothing better than this.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
They did everything but finish the job. The Blue Jays were two outs away from celebrating their first World Series championship since 1993. They had chances to close the game on the mound, but couldn\u2019t. They had opportunities to end it with one swing of the bat, but didn\u2019t. It\u2019s heartbreaking. It feels unfair. It\u2019s gutting to see another champion celebrate on your turf. They needed 27 outs. They got 25 before the lead evaporated.
Not a mistake, exactly. But the Blue Jays did force Dave Roberts to act decisively, pulling starter Shohei Ohtani <\/strong>after just seven outs rather than push for more length from the taxed two-way star. While Roberts clearly did not trust this Dodgers bullpen, he had starters to spend in Game 7, and that made all the difference. Rather than call upon unreliable relievers, Roberts deployed Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell<\/strong> and Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/strong>. What a luxury.
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There\u2019s no question, the Jays went down having given the Dodgers the best they had. After Max Scherzer <\/strong>delivered 4 1\/3 innings of one-run baseball, John Schneider turned to Louis Varland<\/strong>, Chris Bassitt, Trey Yesavage, Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Dom\u00ednguez <\/strong>and then Shane Bieber<\/strong>. There was no one else to call upon, unless Kevin Gausman<\/strong> had anything left in the tank after Game 6. Bassitt ran into traffic early and allowed a run, yet the Jays soon returned their lead to two runs. Yesavage gave up a Max Muncy<\/strong> homer, but not the lead. Hoffman got halfway through a four-out save before Miguel Rojas shocked everyone with a tying homer. After Bieber got clipped by Will Smith<\/strong> in the 11th, that was that. There were no other options at Schneider\u2019s disposal.
The Dodgers trailed almost all night. They were two outs away from being eliminated before Miguel Rojas<\/strong> homered in the ninth, and they squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the 10th. They never had a lead until the 11th inning, when catcher Will Smith <\/strong>hit a solo home run off Shane Bieber. It was Smith\u2019s second home run of the World Series (he\u2019d hit none in the first three rounds of the playoffs).
The Dodgers were out-hit in the game \u2014 14 hits for the Blue Jays, 11 for the Dodgers \u2014 but they hit three home runs in the last four innings to complete their comeback and win their second straight championship.
When the Dodgers loaded the bases in the fourth inning, Daulton Varsho made diving catch in center field, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made a diving stab at first base, and the Blue Jays got out of the jam with their lead intact.
When the Dodgers put two on with no outs in the sixth, the Blue Jays again allowed just one run and got out with their lead intact.
When Max Muncy hit a home run in the eighth, there was no one on base, and again, the Blue Jays\u2019 lead was intact.
But with one out in the ninth, it was the Dodgers\u2019 No. 9 hitter Miguel Rojas <\/strong>\u2014 who was added to starting lineup just yesterday \u2014 who hit the home run that tied the game at 4. The Blue Jays lead, which they\u2019d held since the third inning, was suddenly gone.
Moment that mattered: Late escape
The Blue Jays had chances to walk off. They loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth \u2014 a rally that began with a Bo Bichette single in perhaps his last Blue Jays at-bat \u2014 but Miguel Rojas fielded a grounder and threw home for the second out of the inning, before center fielder Andy Pages \u2014 who\u2019d just entered to play defense \u2014 made a dramatic, inning-ending catch while crashing into left fielder Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez. All of this while Yoshinobu Yamamoto was pitching, just one day after starting Game 6.
The double play that ended the 11th inning was the play that sealed the win for the Dodgers, but it was the escape in the ninth that kept the game alive and ended in dramatic fashion the Blue Jays\u2019 last and best chance to win the series.<\/p>\n

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MLBAdvertisementliveUpdated 7m agoBuilding a sports dynasty is supposed to be difficult. It should demand more than a singular talent, a massive payroll, and a clear path to a championship. A dynasty has to be earned, and the Los Angeles Dodgers earned it Saturday night in a Game 7 for the ages.They didn\u2019t have a lead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":170321,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}