The Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a dramatic 5-4 comeback over the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings of a tense Game 7 early Sunday, becoming Major League Baseball’s first repeat champion in 25 years.
Down to their final two outs, Miguel Rojas kept Los Angeles alive with a stunning game-tying home run in the ninth, before Will Smith crushed a solo shot in the 11th off Shane Bieber to deliver the decisive blow.
“I was fired up,” said Smith. “You dream of those moments, extra innings, put your team ahead. I’ll remember that forever.”
The Blue Jays — chasing their first title in 32 years — nearly answered in the bottom half, putting runners on first and third with one out, but Alejandro Kirk grounded into a double play that ended their season and silenced a nation.
“It’s going to hurt for a while,” admitted manager John Schneider. “We were that close.”
Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who dominated throughout the series, earned World Series MVP honors after delivering 2⅔ clutch shutout innings in relief. The Japanese star also threw a complete game in Game 2 and allowed just one run through six innings in Game 6.
Los Angeles, trailing 3-2 earlier in the series, won two straight on the road to clinch their third title in six years, cementing a modern-day dynasty.
“To do what we’ve done in this span of time is pretty remarkable,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Let the pundits call it what they want, we’re proud of it.”
The night wasn’t short on fireworks, or friction. A benches-clearing melee broke out in the fourth inning after Andres Gimenez was hit by a pitch, escalating tensions in an already politically charged series between U.S. and Canadian fans.
“This one was lucky,” Dodgers owner Mark Walter admitted. “But we’ll take it.”
From Tokyo to Toronto, the Dodgers began and ended their 2025 season outside the U.S. — and finished it as world champions once again.
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