For the Astros’ fan, deprived of any meaningful games since late September, this World Series might not seem worth watching. Hard to blame the Houston fan for thinking that. The only notable Astros news centers on the purges of coaches/trainers and the signing of a depth piece at pitcher. Still, a World Series is a World Series, and this is the last meaningful baseball until Spring 2026. Thus, a guide of sorts for the pending series and some Astros considerations.
NL Representative: Los Angeles Dodgers
- Regular Season Record: 93-69 (NL West Champions)
- Postseason: 9-1
- NLWC: Defeated Cincinnati Reds 2-0
- NLDS: Defeated Philadelphia Phillies 3-1
- NLCS: Defeated Milwaukee Brewers 4-0
- Home: 5-1
- Road: 4-0
Season in Review: The defending 2024 champs. It seemed as if every single big-time free agent in baseball decided to make Chavez Ravine home. Teoscar Hernandez, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, etc. Adding them to a team already overloaded with talent from the 2024 spending binge, the Dodgers appeared well on their way to buying the greatest team ever. Their 8-0 start to the season did nothing to quell that chatter. Then, the Dodgers then suffered the indignity of not winning every game. Key starters got injured. Ohtani was still hitting but also trying to work his arm back into pitching strength. Mookie Betts found himself in a season-long slump, and the Dodgers couldn’t quite shake the pesky Padres. Coming into the All-Star Break, the Dodgers suffered consecutive sweeps at the hands of the Brewers and Astros. Eventually, those high-priced arms made their way back into the lineup and the Dodgers did just enough to win their 12th NL West title in the last 13 seasons. Yet, coming into the post-season, the Dodgers had a rather glaring weakness: their bullpen. Their best high-leverage relievers could not get anyone out. The starters would pitch gems, the offense would provide just enough firepower, and yet the Dodgers still had to sweat out games due to a leaky bullpen.
The Dodgers entered the NL Playoffs as the 3-seed, so they would have to play an extra round of playoff baseball. They swept the Reds in two games, but that was a bit misleading, as the Reds had their chances late in both games to tie or take the lead. Then, the Dodgers squared off against the Phillies, taking both games at Philly, due to a combination of timely hitting/good starting pitching and Phillies’ tomfoolery. The Dodgers dropped Game 3, but then outlasted the Phillies in Game 4, winning on a walk-off error by the Phillies relief pitcher. Then they got to the NLCS against the Brewers, a team that won the season series 6-0. It is said that luck is with those that don’t need it. The Dodgers might have been a bit lucky in the Wild Card and NLDS, but they dominated the NLCS. Their starting rotation for posted a collective 0.63 ERA, limiting the exposure of the bullpen. They held the Brewers to only 4 runs in 4 games and closed out the NLCS with an Othani game for the ages in Game 4.
Dodgers Leaders (Postseason stats)
Pitching:
- Wins: Blake Snell (3)
- ERA: Tyler Glasnow (0.68)
- Saves: Roki Sasaki (3)
- WHIP: Blake Snell (0.52)
Hitting:
- HRs: DH Shohei Ohtani (5)
- BA: LF Enrique Hernandez (.306)
- RBIs: RF Teoscar Hernandez (11)
- OPS: DH Shohei Ohtani (.967)
Projected Starting Line-up (Postseason BA/OBP/SLG):
- C: Will Smith (.286/.375/.286)
- 1B: Freddie Freeman (.231/.333/.410)
- 2B: Tommy Edman (.286/.306/.486)
- 3B: Max Muncy (.214/.389/.357)
- SS: Mookie Betts (.293/.370/.439)
- LF: Enrique Hernandez (.306/.375/.417)
- CF: Andy Pages (.086/.135/.114)
- RF: Teoscar Hernandez (.268/.302/.585)
- DH: Shohei Ohtani (.220/.333/.634)
Pitching: It is all about the starters. Right now, the Dodgers have four ace-level pitchers. Blake Snell is the ace of aces, going 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA. Tyler Glasnow has rebounded from his injury concerns to show why he is also a Cy Young contender (0.68 ERA). Yamamoto is earning his big-time payday, giving baseball its first postseason complete game since Justin Verlander back in 2017. Then you have Ohtani. In Game 4 of the NLCS, he deals 6.0 innings of no-run baseball with 10Ks. Combine that with is awakening bat, and you have a nightmare starting rotation. This being the postseason, the old rules about bullpen usage go out the window. Having dominant starters going long into the game reduces the exposure of a weak bullpen. For the bullpen, the top arm belongs to Roki Sasaki, who has taken over the closer spot, posting a 1.13 ERA across 8 innings, to include 3.0 innings in the clinching extra-innings Game 4 of the NLDS. Aside from him, it is a game of hoping the non-starting arms can offer an inning sans meltdown. Overall, the Dodgers arms are dealing a collective 2.45 ERA.
Offense: Maybe not as dominant an offensive performance as last postseason, but the Dodgers do not lack for postseason hitting, averaging over 4 runs/game. Practically every bat in that lineup has hit for power and average in postseason’s past, and that is the case this postseason. Right now, the hot bat rests with Ohtani. Until the NLCS, Ohtani was having a nightmare of a postseason at the plate. Yet, this demon on the diamond has 4 dingers in his last two games. Maybe Freddie Freeman isn’t as hot as he was last postseason, but the next Fall Classic where he doesn’t hit a homer will be his first. Mookie Betts is shaking off his season-long slump. Toescar Hernandez is reprising his role as postseason threat. Name a player, and you can easily find some postseason success.
Astros’ Fan Considerations: Welp, if you wanted a hate watch for the World Series…you got it in spades. What a switch from when the Astros swept them back over the 4th of July weekend, and in particularly dominant fashion. You might argue that the 2017 Astros did the world a favor and prevented the Dodgers from really being insufferable for the baseball world. Of course, should the Dodgers complete the repeat, any and all whining about 2017 should be henceforth and forevermore relegated to the dustbin of history. As Houston fans, we do this anyway, but should evil LA triumph, it’s possible that some outside of Houston will look more positively on 2017 (not really). Perhaps the only people outside of LA that want the Dodgers to win will be the owners, who look at the massive Dodgers’ payroll as Exhibit A-Infinity to implement a salary cap, which will begat perhaps the worst labor standoff in the history of sports.
AL Representatives: Toronto Blue Jays
- Regular Season Record: 94-68
- Postseason Record: 7-4
- ALDS: Defeated New York Yankees 3-1
- ALCS: Defeated Seattle Mariners 4-3
- Home: 4-2
- Road: 3-2
Season in Review: Coming into this season, the Blue Jays appeared a franchise at the crossroads. The significant talent infusion and investment for the past few seasons had yielded only 3 playoff appearances this decade with no series wins (actually, no game wins in those series). Key pieces of the team that Toronto hoped would lead them to a new golden age faced the prospect of leaving in free agency, and Toronto’s braintrust needed to decide whether to try to re-sign them, trade them, or just ride it out one last time. Perhaps the biggest concerns centered on the fate of Vlad Guerrero Jr. He entered 2025 in his walk year. In one respect, Toronto answered those questions by signing Guerrero to a massive $500M contract. However, the 2025 started out sluggishly for Toronto, as they entered May under .500. However, once the calendar hit May, a switch got flipped, and Toronto suddenly racked up the wins in bunches. They vaulted to the top of the AL East in June and despite some late summer ebbs, they never relinquished that lead. Led mainly by the top hitting offense in MLB, Toronto rode that to the #1 seed in the AL. The pitching staff wasn’t quite as dominant as season’s past, but through a combination of arms from Gausman to Scherzer to mid-season acquisition Bieber, the Blue Jays arms did enough to get back to the playoffs.
Toronto got a bye into the ALDS, where they met the Yankees. After bludgeoning them in two games in Canada, Toronto withstood some Judge heroics to close out the series in New York in 4 games. Then a quick flight back to Canada to face the Seattle Mariners. However, the Mariners ambushed the Blue Jays, taking the 1st two games in Toronto in convincing fashion. The Blue Jays responded by taking the 1st two games in Seattle in emphatic fashion, only to drop Game 5. Down 3-2, Toronto returned home to blast the Mariners in Game 6. In Game 7, Astros alum George Springer, coming off a hit kneecap from Game 5, launched another classic postseason Springer Dinger that put Toronto over the top to clinch the Blue Jays’ 1st pennant in 32 years.
Blue Jays Leaders: (Postseason stats)
Pitching:
- Wins: Kevin Gausman (2)
- ERA: Kevin Gausman (2.00) [Jeff Hoffman in 6 appearances in relief has a 1.23 ERA]
- Saves: Jeff Hoffman (2)
- WHIP: Kevin Gausman (2.00) [For non-starting pitchers, Chris Bassitt in relief has 0.00 in two appearances]
Hitting:
- HR: 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr. (6)
- BA: 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr. (.442)
- RBIs: 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr. (12)
- OPS: 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr. (1.440)
Projected Starting Line-up (Postseason BA/OBP/SLG):
- C: Alejandro Kirk (.222/.286/.467)
- 1B: Vlad Guerrero Jr. (.442/.510/.930)
- 2B: Andres Gimenez (.263/.317/.447)
- 3B: Ernie Clement (.429/.444/.619)
- SS: Isiah Kiner-Falefa (.238/.238/.333)
- LF: Nathan Lukes (.333/.381/.410)
- CF: Daulton Varsho (.273/.304/.500)
- RF: Addison Barger (.286/.375/.514)
- DH: George Springer (.239/.321/.609)
Pitching: For the postseason, the team has an overall ERA of 4.36, which may not be wonderful, but it has been enough. They have solid starters, led by staff ace Kevin Gausman. The rise of youngster Trey Yesavage bolstered the rotation, especially as his 5.2 innings of 2 run ball in Game 6 that kept the Blue Jays in the ALCS. For the other two slots, Toronto will rely on the grizzled vet Max Scherzer and ALCS Game 7 starter Shane Bieber. The Blue Jays bullpen has been effective enough, even if they aren’t a full-on lock-down unit. Normal starters like Chris Bassitt are filling relief roles in the postseason. A bullpen game was enough to close out the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALDS, so that speaks well enough about the Blue Jays bullpen.
Offense: This is the unit that is driving the Canadian bus to the World Series, averaging over 6 runs/game. Much of that due to the $675M Canadian Loonie man Vlad Guerrero Jr. who is playing at an unearthly level. At one point, he had 3 times as many HRs (6) as strikeouts (2). Is any ball-player worth that much in US Dollars/Loonies? Maybe not, but you can’t say that Toronto isn’t getting an immediate ROI. Speaking of ROI, when the Blue Jays signed Springer to that 6 year/$150M deal back in 2021, this is what they wanted. Springer continues his 2025 renaissance, adding 4 dingers to his 23 postseason totals, including his Game 7 clincher. Also included in the hit parade is 3B Clement, who is batting .447 for the postseason.
Astros’ Considerations: Houston won the season series against the Blue Jays (a 3-0 sweep back in April and a 1-2 loss in Toronto in September). You have the obvious connection of Springer. Myles Straw and one-time top prospect Joey Loperfido also claim previous Astros ties. Sure, the idea of rooting for a Canadian team to win the American World Series can always seem a bit off, but they’ve done it before (and how many Stanley Cups have American teams won as of late?). Plus, and this can’t be emphasized enough, the Blue Jays are not the Dodgers.
- 2025 Matchup: Dodgers won 2-1 (Aug 8-Aug 10 in LA)
- Postseason history: First meeting between these two in the playoffs
- Betting Favorites: Dodgers -220
Schedules (All time CDT and all games on Fox):
- Game 1: Friday, October 24 @ 7:00 @ TOR [Blake Snell (3-0, 0.86 ERA) vs. Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.20 ERA)]
- Game 2: Saturday, October 25 @ 7:00 @ TOR [Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, 1.83 ERA) vs. TBD]
- Game 3: Monday, October 27 @ 7:00 @ LA
- Game 4: Tuesday, October 28 @ 7:00 @ LA
- *Game 5: Wednesday, October 29 @ 7:00 @ LA
- *Game 6: Friday, October 31 @ 7:00 @ TOR
- *Game 7: Saturday, November 1 @ 7:00 @ TOR
*If necessary
Projections: This could be a classic contrast in styles. The Dodgers pitching vs. Blue Jays hitting. Generally, pitching trumps hitting the playoffs. Toronto does have home-field, which is a plus for them, even if home teams don’t historically win in Game 7s. The Dodgers don’t have any real feel-good stories this time around, and they are leaning into their heel turn. The Blue Jays are looking for that first title since Joe Carter’s walk-off classic in 1993. Perhaps Toronto could be boosted by the return of Bo Bichette. Likely it will come down to strength-on-strength. If the Blue Jays can outlast the Dodgers starters and get to that vulnerable Dodgers bullpen, the World Series could be theirs. However, it is hard to bet against that rotation of aces in LA. Maybe Vegas has it right and the Dodgers get their wish to be the new Evil Empire, taking their 3rd World Series this decade and giving MLB its first repeat champion in 25 years.
