The big question of the 2025 World Series was whether the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup would continue a historically dominant postseason against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ historically dominant rotation, and vice versa.
Round 1 went convincingly to the Blue Jays, and then the Dodgers’ bullpen got involved.
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Behind a nine-run sixth inning, the Blue Jays blew out the Dodgers 11-4 on Friday to take a 1-0 lead in the World Series. Game 2 is Saturday (8 p.m. ET, Fox) in Toronto.
The Dodgers had reason to feel confident going into the game. Starting pitcher Blake Snell had allowed just two earned runs in 21 innings across three postseason starts, and he was coming off an eight-inning masterpiece against the Milwaukee Brewers. But the Blue Jays brought that run to a screeching halt.
Snell retired only 12 of his 24 batters faced. He allowed 8 hits, 5 earned runs, 3 walks and a hit-by-pitch. He exited the sixth inning with the bases loaded and no outs in a tie game. Emmet Sheehan was called in to keep the game tied. Three batters later, the score was 5-2, still with no outs.
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Then Anthony Banda was called in to try to keep the game close. One batter later, it was 9-2, thanks to a grand slam from Addison Barger, the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.
Alejandro Kirk added another two-run homer after that to send the game further into laugher territory. It was a deliriously happy night for a Rogers Centre crowd that was watching its first World Series win since 1993, 32 years and one day later.
The Jays’ breakthrough at the expense of Snell gave Toronto three more runs against the Dodgers’ rotation than the Brewers scored in the entire NLCS. It also more than made up for a shaky start from Trey Yesavage, the rookie who was drafted last year and began the season at Low-A Dunedin. He left the game after four innings of two-run ball, and it could have been much worse considering that his best pitch, his splitter, was barely working.
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Bo Bichette also made his return after missing more than a month due to a left knee sprain. Batting cleanup, he went 1-for-2 with a walk and exited in the sixth inning for a pinch-runner. He also made a nice play at second base in his first appearance at the position since he was a minor leaguer in 2019.
All of that handed the Dodgers only their second loss across four rounds of the postseason. It’s one that could leave a mark.
Losing a World Series opener is bad enough for the Dodgers. Losing by seven runs is also bad. But the really concerning part — if you accept that Snell just had one of his off-nights — is that Sheehan and Banda are theoretically two of L.A.’s top four arms out of the bullpen, with Alex Vesia likely out for the series.
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The two others, judging from how the Dodgers have deployed them, are Blake Treinen, who has eroded stomach linings in Los Angeles all postseason, and Roki Sasaki, a rookie in his first month of relief work who is essentially the team’s new closer by default.
Incredibly enough, this game was the first time all postseason that the Dodgers’ bullpen has taken a loss, despite a 4.88 ERA entering Friday. The Dodgers’ rotation was good enough to hide that fatal flaw for 10 games in the first three rounds. The question now is if they’ll have to do it for four more games just for Los Angeles to have a prayer in this Fall Classic.
But on the bright side for L.A., Shohei Ohtani hit a homer.
The Dodgers will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 opposite the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman.
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This series was never as lopsided as it felt to some, and now it’s on L.A. to show it belongs here.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
It’s over. The Blue Jays take Game 1 in lopsided fashion, spurred by the first pinch-hit grand slam in the history of the World Series courtesy of Addison Barger. Blake Snell struggled massively after an all-time postseason run, and now the Dodgers will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to tie the series.
The Blue Jays will start Kevin Gausman in Game 2, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Saturday in Toronto.
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Jack Baer
Call stands. The Blue Jays will have to end this game against Mookie Betts.
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Jack Baer
The Blue Jays nearly picked off Ohtani and are challenging the safe call.
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Jack Baer
Blue Jays fans were chanting “We don’t need him” with Shohei Ohtani in the box. He drew a walk.
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Jack Baer
Rookie Will Klein, making his postseason debut, works around an Addison Barger single for a scoreless eighth inning.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
Chris Bassitt throws a scoreless eighth inning against the Dodgers. Carry on.
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Jack Baer
Justin Wrobleski enters and throws a 1-2-3 seventh inning. That alone might be enough to put him in the circle of trust for the Dodgers bullpen.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
Fisher shakes off the Ohtani homer and gets out of the top of the seventh. Rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski enters for some mop-up work for the Dodgers.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
With the game seemingly over, Shohei Ohtani takes Braydon Fisher deep — his fourth homer in two games — to cut the deficit to seven runs.
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Jack Baer
The inning finally, mercifully ends for the Dodgers. We won’t blame you if you don’t feel like watching the next three innings.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
Alejandro Kirk takes Anthony Banda deep as the Blue Jays reach double digits. More concerning for the Dodgers is that this has all been against Snell, Sheehan and Banda, three pitchers they were planning to use quite a bit in this series.
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Jack Baer
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Jack Baer
Addison Barger hits a grand slam, and you can probably stick a fork in this one. The Dodgers bullpen is poised to take its first loss of the postseason.
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Jack Baer
That forceout also officially ends Blake Snell’s day. His final line: 5 innings, 8 hits, 5 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 1 HBP on 100 pitches.
The big question of this series was whether the historically dominant Blue Jays lineup would hold up against a historically dominant Dodgers rotation. Round 1 goes to Toronto by unanimous decision.