The Los Angeles Dodgers have etched their name into baseball history once again, becoming the first team in 25 years to win consecutive World Series titles. In a dramatic Game 7 showdown, the Dodgers rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 5–4 in extra innings at a raucous Rogers Centre.
The defining moment came in the top of the 11th inning, when catcher Will Smith crushed a solo home run to break a 4–4 tie. Moments later, the Dodgers sealed the title as Alejandro Kirk grounded into a double play with the tying run stranded on third base—setting off an eruption of celebration from the Los Angeles bench.
This victory marks the Dodgers’ ninth World Series championship, and their third in six years under manager Dave Roberts. The last MLB team to go back-to-back were the New York Yankees, who dominated from 1998 to 2000.
California Outlasts Canada in a Classic Finale
The winner-take-all Game 7 was as tense as it was symbolic—set against ongoing political and trade friction between the United States and Canada following Donald Trump’s re-election. But it was the star-studded Dodgers, baseball’s biggest spenders, who ultimately prevailed over Canada’s lone MLB franchise.
Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s brightest global star, took the mound for Los Angeles but ran into trouble in the third inning. After George Springer opened with a single and moved up on a bunt and a wild pitch, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was intentionally walked. Then, Bo Bichette sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a three-run blast over center field, putting Toronto up 3–0.
Ohtani’s night as a pitcher ended there, but thanks to MLB’s 2022 “Ohtani Rule,” he stayed in the game as the designated hitter.
Dodgers Rally and Tempers Flare
Los Angeles began to claw back immediately. In the fourth inning, they loaded the bases, and Teoscar Hernández drove in Will Smith on a sacrifice fly to make it 3–1. The inning could have been worse for Toronto, but Guerrero made a sensational diving stop at first to limit the damage.
Emotions ran high in the following frame when Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski hit Andrés Giménez with a pitch, sparking both benches to clear. After a heated confrontation, umpires issued warnings to both managers.
Toronto starter Max Scherzer exited with a 3–1 lead in the fifth, but the Dodgers kept coming. A sacrifice fly from Tommy Edman scored Mookie Betts in the sixth, trimming the deficit to one. The Blue Jays briefly restored control when Giménez doubled home Ernie Clement, but the Dodgers refused to fade.
Late Heroics and a Legendary Finish
With the game on the line, Los Angeles slugger Max Muncy launched a solo homer in the eighth inning, cutting Toronto’s lead to 4–3. Then, in the ninth, Miguel Rojas delivered a clutch solo shot off Jeff Hoffman to tie it at 4–4, silencing the Canadian crowd.
Both teams had golden opportunities to win in the ninth and 10th innings, each loading the bases but failing to score. It was only the sixth Game 7 in World Series history to reach extra innings.
Then came Will Smith’s moment—a towering 11th-inning home run that gave the Dodgers their first lead of the night and, ultimately, their championship.
Toronto threatened in the bottom half, but Los Angeles reliever Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who had already won Games 2 and 6, closed the door once again. Yamamoto’s brilliance throughout the series earned him World Series MVP honors.
A Dynasty in the Making
For the Dodgers, this championship cements a modern dynasty built on star power, depth, and relentless resilience. As champagne flowed in the visitors’ clubhouse and blue confetti fell, Dave Roberts summed it up simply:
“This team never quits. No matter the score, no matter the inning—we find a way.”
Back-to-back titles, a ninth championship overall, and perhaps the start of something even bigger in Los Angeles.
