The Dodgers won the 2025 World Series while being outscored 34 to 26. Much of that difference came in game one, an 11-4 Toronto victory. Three of the four Dodgers win came by one or two runs, including two one-run wins in extra innings.
Toronto produced a .269/.347/.398 slash line, the .347 OBP extremely impressive against a championship team. They drew 28 walks and were hit by pitches seven times to go with their 75 hits. The Dodgers slash line came in at .203/.294/.364. The Dodgers produced more power (isolated power won .161 to .129), but the Blue Jays did a better job of getting on base. That matched the team profiles coming into the series.
Neither hit well situationally. The Dodgers hit .191/.317/.213 with runners in scoring position, Toronto .231/.346/.385. Note the use of defensive walks by both teams, looking at this from the pitching side. The big win in power for the Blue Jays came in damage from home runs. The eight Toronto home runs produced 18 runs. The ten Los Angeles home runs produced 12 runs.
On top of that, the Blue Jays received the better starting pitching. Toronto starters (as starters) owned a 3.35 ERA with 9.6 K per 9, 2.4 BB per 9, and 1.2 HR per 9 IP. The Dodgers starters came away with a 4.76 ERA, 8.8 K per 9, 3.2 BB per 9, and 1.4 HR per 9 IP. The big difference came from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, shutting down the Jays for 17 2/3 innings, including the last 2 2/3 innings of game seven. He was a fitting MVP.
Note that two great defensive plays behind him kept him from blowing the game.
It’s a tough loss for the Blue Jays. Toronto fans should be proud of this team, however. There were plenty of moments when a ball might have been hit a foot longer, shorter, to the right or to the left where they win the series. Although, the home run by Miguel Rojas should cause some consternation. On the other hand, can you imagine someone that low on the depth chart being the hero in the NBA or NFL?
These were too evenly matched teams, and it’s tough to imagine a more tightly played series. As a neutral observer, It certainly was one of the most enjoyable I’ve seen.