WORLD SERIES PREVIEW: CAN THE DODGERS REPEAT AS CHAMPS OR WILL CANADA TOAST A TITLE?
By The Daily Boro Staff
The fall classic is here, featuring two teams that have never faced each other for a World Series title. The Los Angeles Dodgers are defending champions, while the Toronto Blue Jays, returning to the Series for the first time since 1993, carry Canada’s hopes after winning the American League pennant.
The Jays finished last in the AL East in 2024, and this year surprised many by overtaking the Yankees. Toronto started slowly in the spring but excelled in the second half to catch New York. Both teams finished 94-68, but the Blue Jays won the division by virtue of their head-to-head record against the Yanks.
The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees again in the playoffs, then snuck past the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS in seven games. The Mariners were only a few outs away from a last-game win, but Toronto staged a late-inning comeback to return to the Series for the first time in 32 years. The Blue Jays won their only two championships back-to-back in 1992-93.
Diehard Mariner fans were devastated, hoping their team would make it to the Series. But Seattle remains the only Major League team to never appear in a World Series.
Almost every fan who follows baseball expected the Dodgers to be runaway victors in the NL West in 2025. After a championship last year and the return of a strong roster, led by Shohei Ohtani and a strong starting pitching staff, it seemed no one would challenge Los Angeles in their division.
Unlike the Jays, Los Angeles started strong, and it appeared they would cruise to a division crown. However, the Dodgers looked mortal during the regular season. The San Diego Padres kept pace with them during the entire 2025 campaign, finishing only 3 games behind.
During the playoffs, the Dodgers returned to 2024 form and easily bested the Phillies in the NLDS three games to one. LA swept the Milwaukee Brewers (who owned baseball’s best record) 4-0 in the NLCS.
During the game four clincher, Ohtani proved he is the best player in baseball and likely a future Hall-of-Famer. The Japanese star hit three home runs and struck out 10 during six shutout innings in a 5-1 Dodgers win. His dominating offense and defense stats combined to create one of the greatest single-game performances in playoff history.
The Series matchup features a battle between two teams in blue for national pride. The American Dodgers are the favorites, but the Canadian Jays come into the Series with a superior regular season record (the Dodgers won 93 games) and are motivated by their turnaround performance and a thirst for a third title.
The Dodgers’ bullpen experienced some hiccups this year, displaying the team’s major vulnerability. If the Jays can get past LA’s strong starting pitching, they will have an opportunity to win the Series.
However, if the Dodgers’ pitching staff can stand tall against the Jays’ potent offense, and the team stays hot in the playoffs behind Ohtani, they could win in six games or less.
The Blue Jays won their last Series win in dramatic fashion against the Phillies, with a 1993 walk-off home run by Joe Carter. The team hopes to revive that 30-year-old magic to return the title to Canadian soil.
The Dodgers seek to duplicate Toronto’s consecutive championships and win the 9th World Series title in the franchise’s storied history.
The first pitch of the 2025 World Series is on Friday, October 24, at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
