Is Shohei Ohtani already nan top of each time?
He is and it’s difficult to ideate that different subordinate will moreover attack his accomplishments successful this lifetime. In Game 4 of this season’s NLCS, he struck retired 10 hitters complete six shutout innings and deed complete a quarter-mile’s worthy of location runs. Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux whitethorn person summarized it champion erstwhile said: “He benignant of reminds you of Nolan Ryan, and past he reminds you of freaking Barry Bonds.” Gabriel Baumgaertner
Comparing players crossed eras is simply a mug’s crippled … but yes. We’ll ne'er cognize really Babe Ruth aliases Cy Young mightiness person fared had they been astir today, but it’s unarguable that players are consistently bigger, stronger and fitter than ever before. To beryllium arsenic ascendant arsenic Ohtani is now astatine 2 specified difficult and different disciplines is superhuman. If he was American they’d person started activity connected a caller helping successful Cooperstown. Alan Evans
He’s rewriting what nan word moreover means. A two-way superstar who’s led some leagues successful WAR, carried 2 franchises and now headlines a superteam chasing back-to-back titles. Ruth ne'er faced 100mph sliders. Trout ne'er took nan mound. Ohtani’s doing some astatine historical levels successful nan analytics age. Bryan Armen Graham
In what sense? Well, he’s not nan champion pitcher and he’s not nan champion hitter. Ruth didn’t transportation and deed simultaneously connected nan level that Ohtani is presently doing, truthful he’s each unsocial astatine nan apical successful his very ain category. David Lengel
World Series 2025
ShowSchedule
Best-of-seven series. All times Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4).
Fri 24 Oct Game 1: LA Dodgers astatine Toronto Blue Jays, 8pm
Sat 25 Oct Game 2: LA Dodgers astatine Toronto Blue Jays, 8pm
Mon 27 Oct Game 3: Toronto Blue Jays astatine LA Dodgers, 8pm
Tue 28 Oct Game 4: Toronto Blue Jays astatine LA Dodgers, 8pm
Wed 29 Oct Game 5: Toronto Blue Jays astatine LA Dodgers, 8pm*
Fri 31 Oct Game 6: LA Dodgers astatine Toronto Blue Jays, 8pm*
Sat 1 Nov Game 7: LA Dodgers astatine Toronto Blue Jays, 8pm*
*if necessary
How to watch
• In nan US, each games will beryllium broadcast connected FOX. If you person a cable/satellite subscription pinch FOX included, you tin besides watercourse via nan FOX Sports app.
• In nan UK, nan charismatic broadcaster is TNT Sports. A subscription to their work aliases their app is required.
• In Australia, nan rightsholder is nan section branch of ESPN Australia and related platforms.
What nan Blue Jays request to do to win
Hit! If nan Blue Jays want to triumph nan series, they will request to unit nan Dodgers’ starting pitchers successful nan early innings. That intends reliable, powerful accumulation from prima hitters George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr arsenic good arsenic pesky, reliable at-bats from veterans for illustration Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho. GB
Ohtani whitethorn beryllium nan champion ever, but Guerrero is moreover hotter correct now. He’s deed six location runs and is batting .442/.510/1.440 this postseason. If anyone tin sound nan Dodgers’ pitching unit disconnected their rhythm, it could beryllium him. AE
They must grind down nan Dodgers’ starters. Toronto’s contact-heavy lineup has to widen at-bats, raise transportation counts and unit Dave Roberts to thin connected his bullpen. Defensively, they can’t springiness distant other outs. If Vlad Jr stays scorching and Bo Bichette protects him, they’ve sewage a puncher’s chance. BAG
The Jays person to deterioration down nan patient LA starters and get to nan bullpen that nan Dodgers person been capable to hide during nan playoffs. Toronto must put unit connected nan defense and return each chances they tin connected nan basepaths. But connected nan field, do not return immoderate chances: that intends blimpish play and taking nan outs successful speech for azygous runs successful a bid to debar nan large inning astatine each costs. DL

What nan Dodgers request to do to win
The Dodgers are astir vulnerable erstwhile nan bottommost of their lineup gets connected base and frustrates opposing pitchers pinch agelong at-bats. If they person dependable accumulation from reliable postseason contributors for illustration Tommy Edman, Max Muncy and Enrique Hernández, past nan Blue Jays will request to people successful bunches to support pace. The Dodgers will besides triumph if their starting pitching keeps performing nan measurement that it has: In 10 starts, nan LA starters person a 1.40 ERA and 0.75 WHIP complete 64.1 innings pitched. In 9 of those 10 starts, nan starting pitcher has allowed 4 hits aliases fewer. GB
Score 3 runs a game. Their pitching unit is truthful beardown that moreover if their batting lineup has an disconnected night, they’ll astir apt still win. They conscionable held nan Brewers, who had nan champion grounds successful shot this year, to 4 runs successful 4 games. One pitcher mightiness person a meltdown, but it’s difficult to ideate it happening 4 times. AE
Keep letting nan rotation cook. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Bobby Miller person been dominant, and Rōki Sasaki arsenic person solves their 1 soft spot. If Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman tin get nan Dodgers early leads, that unit won’t cough them up. Their extent and remainder should overpower a tired Toronto staff. BAG
Keep doing what they’re doing. The Dodgers request to put distant that smack they were talking precocious and recognize that their opponents are tin of winning it all. LA person nan benignant of prima powerfulness shot misses truthful badly, and if they play up to that lofty standard, there’s small nan Jays tin do to derail back-to-back titles. DL
One bold prediction
After failing to get a deed successful nan 2024 World Series, Dodgers 3rd baseman Muncy leads nan squad successful location runs and is nan champion Los Angeles hitter successful nan series. Muncy is exceptionally vulnerable against right-handed pitching, and nan Blue Jays only person 2 lefty arms connected their roster. In nan NLCS, Muncy became nan all-time postseason location tally leader for nan Dodgers. After nan World Series, he will safely clasp that record. GB
Aubrey alert. There person been a batch of jokes astir this being nan Drake v Kendrick Lamar World Series. Drake is intelligibly leaning into it and will do thing characteristically corny for illustration merchandise a freestyle that rhymes “Bo Bichette” pinch “wet”. Kendrick will disregard him. AE
Sasaki records aggregate six-out saves and wins a crippled successful relief, becoming nan youngest pitcher ever to clinch a World Series title. His 102mph fastball turns nan last innings into a one-man spectacle and erases nan Dodgers’ bullpen communicative for good. BAG
At immoderate constituent during this series, cranky Toronto fans will propulsion worldly connected nan field and unit Dodgers players to retreat to nan dugout. We’ve seen it earlier and we were connected nan verge of seeing it again earlier nan umpires ruled nan correct measurement connected nan Game 7 ALCS interference play. They’re a able crowd up successful Toronto, but they were edgy moreover earlier nan waste and acquisition war. DL

World Series MVP
Let’s operation it up a spot and springiness it to Blake Snell, who will yet put Game 6 of nan 2020 World Series retired of his mind. With that said, nan grant will spell to Ohtani if he pitches good and has moreover a decent bid connected offense. He won nan NLCS MVP contempt being nan team’s worst hitter earlier his historical Game 4 performance. GB
Blake Snell. As nan Game 1 starter, he’s nan astir apt of nan Dodgers’ aces to commencement much than once, and 2 ascendant performances mightiness beryllium capable to seal it. He’s fixed up 3 runs connected 15 hits successful his past six games pinch a 0.68 ERA successful that span. I wouldn’t stake against him continuing that form. AE
Shohei Ohtani. He’ll homer successful consecutive games successful Toronto and present a connection commencement successful Game 5. It won’t conscionable beryllium astir accumulation – it’ll beryllium aura, nan consciousness of inevitability erstwhile he steps successful nan box. A transcendent subordinate gathering nan biggest shape head-on. BAG
The World Series MVP is nan seasoned Kevin Gausman, who wins 2 large games and disarms nan biggest guns successful LA’s lineup. He’s fixed up conscionable 3 runs successful 3 postseason starts and threw a blank successful Game 7 v Seattle. It’s his splitter that stirs nan portion and moreover nan disciplined Dodgers will struggle to laic disconnected it. Count connected Kevin coming done and helping Toronto return nan trophy up north. Will they person to salary duty? DL
Your World Series victor will beryllium …
Dodgers 4-2 Blue Jays. This will beryllium a person bid than group expect. Expect nan Blue Jays to people astatine slightest 1 lopsided triumph aft knocking retired 1 of nan vaunted Dodgers starting pitchers early successful nan game. The problem for nan Blue Jays will beryllium an inconsistent bullpen, not their starting pitching, that will struggle against a diligent group of seasoned Dodgers hitters. GB
Dodgers 4-1 Blue Jays. It feels predestined that nan Dodgers will win. If they person a weakness, it’s their bullpen (a shaky 4.27 ERA successful nan regular season) – but nan return to fittingness of Sasaki and his devastating splitter should thief them stabilize things if thing starts to spell wrong. Meanwhile Toronto request perfectly everything to spell right. Maybe they tin thrust Guerrero and Gausman to 1 upset, but 4 wins is an tremendous ask. AE
Dodgers 4-3 Blue Jays. Their rotation extent is unmatched, their stars rested and Ohtani’s beingness elevates nan full lineup’s confidence. This should beryllium a cakewalk for nan Dodgers, but shot is funny sometimes. Toronto’s discourtesy will make nan astir of their home-field advantage, but nan Dodgers’ operation of starting pitching, subject and prima powerfulness will simply beryllium excessively overmuch to forestall baseball’s first repetition champion successful a quarter-century. BAG
Blue Jays 4-3 Dodgers. Yamamoto, Snell, Ohtani, Glasnow? What are you expected to do pinch these guys? They’ve been truthful good, their beleaguered bullpen only sounded 7 innings successful their expanse of nan Brewers. That’s positively aged schoolhouse by LA. It’s difficult to ideate Toronto pulling it off, but now, really try. Imagine Bichette returning to nan lineup and picking up wherever he near while Guerrero and Springer enactment achromatic hot. How astir Gausman pitching doubly astatine nan Rogers Centre wherever nan Jays are truthful difficult to beat? Contact hitters discarded pitches and put nan shot successful play: thing tin hap and it does. Suddenly we’re successful Game 7 erstwhile Addison Barger touches them each successful nan 10th inning, helping nan Jays to their first title since 1993. Not bad, eh? DL
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