Game 7 of the 2025 World Series was mesmerizing. Not that the other six games were shabby. They most definitely weren’t.
But Game 7 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays is going to linger in baseball fans’ memories for a long time. And it should. It had quite a bit, some of it you probably have forgotten by now. It was like watching two heavyweight boxers in the final of a series of championship bouts.
I always stop to watch it whenever it is replayed on MLB Network for just how exciting and unexpected it was. Sorry, Blue Jays fans. This isn’t meant to rip your hearts out again, but I can understand the feeling. As someone who grew up a Milwaukee Brewers fan, I still see Gorman Thomas striking out against St. Louis Cardinals closer Bruce Sutter to end Game 7 of the 1982 World Series. The pain won’t ever go away. But may you take solace in this Game 7 being perhaps the best in World Series history.
I saw something recently that said we had just passed the midpoint from the final out of Game 7 to the first pitch of the 2026 season. Which made me want to go back and take another watch of Game 7, with the knowledge of what was to come. The opportunities missed and the unlikeliness of other happenings.
With that said, there is too much for just one article. So this week, I am breaking Game 7 down into five articles: first-fifth innings, sixth-eighth innings, ninth inning, 10th inning and 11th inning.
Let’s begin.
Pregame
Both teams were mostly at full strength, but that comes with a big caveat for the Jays. First leadoff hitter and designated hitter George Springer was in his second game back after exiting Game 3 — remember the 18-inning marathon? — in the seventh inning with side discomfort after a swing. He would miss Games 4 and 5, returning for Game 6. Springer, you will recall, was the hero of Game 7 of the AL Championship Series with a three-run go-ahead homer in the seventh inning of a 4-3 win.
Then there was Bo Bichette. The Blue Jays’ starting shortstop was not on the roster for the AL Division Series or the AL Championship Series after he sustained a sprained left knee in early September. He was activated for the World Series, but definitely not 100%. Bichette shifted positions to second base and didn’t finish every game he played, wasn’t in the lineup for Game 2 and was the DH for the two games Springer missed. Not to be overlooked was right fielder Anthony Santander having to be removed from the ALCS roster due to a back injury.
For the Dodgers, there were no health concerns, at least publicly, just an ineffective offense. That prompted manager Dave Roberts to demote shortstop Mookie Betts to the cleanup role for Game 6, the same spot he was in for Game 7. Betts had been the Dodgers’ leadoff or No. 2 hitter with rare exceptions since coming to L.A. before the 2020 season. He was batting cleanup for the first time in eight seasons.
First Inning
Right-hander Max Scherzer starting Game 7 for the Jays was a feel-good story. Mad Max had flat-out stunk at the end of the season and was left off the Jays’ roster for the ALDS. He pitched in one game in the ALCS, finding that old Scherzer form, including a fiery exchange with his manager, in the Game 4 win over the Seattle Mariners. That solidified his spot on the World Series roster, and he turned in a solid effort in the Game 3 marathon.
Scherzer got the call to start Game 7, which seemed like the perfect tone-setter from a Jays perspective. Who else but an emotional 41-year-old who has won three Cy Young Awards and two-time World Series champion who had started Game 7 of the 2019 World Series for the Washington Nationals?
But Scherzer’s night didn’t start well. Shohei Ohtani led off the game by driving a 2-1 changeup for a single to center field. Things got better from there. Will Smith then hit a sharp grounder on an 0-2 slider that Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dove to his right for and tossed to Scherzer covering first for the out as Ohtani moved to second base. That brought up Freddie Freeman, who lofted the first pitch he saw for a flyout to center field, advancing Ohtani to third base. Betts was next. He had the go-ahead two-run single in the Dodgers’ 3-1 Game 6 win, so he seemed to be in a better frame of mind. But like Freeman, Betts flew out to center to end the threat.
Ohtani started for the Dodgers. There had been talk of saving Ohtani for a late-inning appearance, possibly even to close, but that would have put his ability to stay in the game and hit in jeopardy due to the rules that pertain to two-way players. (Bottom line is Ohtani would have had to play a position to stay in the lineup if removed as a reliever, and the Dodgers would have lost their DH.) He was pitching on three days’ rest after starting Game 4, a 6-2 Blue Jays win. Remember, Ohtani didn’t resume pitching until June following his second elbow surgery and surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder due to an injury in the 2024 World Series. So it was a fairly aggressive move, but also one that made sense with everything on the line.
Ohtani was late to the mound to begin his warmups, which caused a bit of a stir with Jays manager John Schneider barking at home plate umpire Jordan Baker and pointing to his watch. It was almost three minutes from the time the top of the first ended to when Ohtani threw the first of his warmup pitches after being stranded at third. Like Scherzer, Ohtani gave up a hit to the leadoff hitter as Springer rifled a 3-1 four-seamer into center for a single. After Nathan Lukes struck out, Guerrero was called out on a 3-2 four-seamer, with the 99.6 mph pitch hitting the lower outside corner of the zone. Springer had been running on the pitch and was a dead duck for an inning-ending double play.
Second Inning
Scherzer found his groove, striking out Max Muncy, getting Teoscar Hernández to fly out to right, and Tommy Edman to line out to right. Suddenly, Scherzer had retired six straight after a 10-pitch second inning.
Ohtani ran into trouble in the second, but also caught a huge break. It was also pretty clear that Ohtani’s stuff wasn’t sharp, even if his velocity was there. Bichette drew a five-pitch walk to begin the inning, then Addison Barger — who was doubled off second to end Game 6 — singled to right on a 3-2 pitch. But because of Bichette’s knee injury, he could only limp into second base. Ohtani then got Alejandro Kirk to pop out to first and Daulton Varsho to fly to right and was close to escaping unscathed. But Ernie Clement, having a fantastic postseason, broke the record for singles in a postseason with his 21st on his liner to right. Unfortunately, Bichette wasn’t able to score on the play. No. 9 hitter Andrés Giménez struck out on four pitches to end the threat, but Ohtani was up to 43 pitches through two innings.
Third Inning
Did we mention Scherzer was cruising? The 41-year-old, possibly making the last start of his career, needed just seven pitches to get through the third inning. Enrique Hernández flew out to center, Miguel Rojas struck out, and Ohtani lined out to left field on the first pitch he saw. Scherzer was up to nine straight retired since Ohtani’s game-opening single.
Ohtani was again late getting back out to the mound after being the last out of the top of the inning. Again, Schneider complained to no avail. Springer singled to left field on a 1-2 sweeper, then advanced to second on Lukes’ sacrifice bunt to Ohtani, who one-hopped Freeman at first. An Ohtani wild pitch sent Springer to third, so Guerrero was intentionally walked. Bichette stepped up to the plate and was able to redeem his lack of baserunning ability from the previous inning by crushing an 88.7 mph slider to deep left-center and staking the Blue Jays to a 3-0 lead and nearly blowing the roof off Rogers Centre.
That would be the last pitch of Ohtani’s season. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski came on and was greeted by a single from Barger before Kirk lined out to center, and Varsho struck out. But the Jays had the lead and the momentum, having knocked Ohtani out of the game.
Fourth Inning
Scherzer’s streak came to a halt as Smith drilled a double high off the wall in left-center that Varsho made a valiant effort at. Freeman singled to right, moving Smith to third. Scherzer got Betts to pop up to shallow right-center that Barger and his strong arm took charge of in case Smith tried to score. Muncy drew a full-count walk to load the bases, and Teoscar Hernandez hit a sinking liner to center that Varsho made a terrific catch on, but no chance to make a throw home with Smith scoring the Dodgers’ first run to make it 3-1. Guerrero saved Scherzer from further damage when he snared Edman’s liner down the first-base line to end the inning.
The Dodgers get a run back …But Daulton Varsho's stellar play prevents further trouble 🔥
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back at it with the glove 😤#WorldSeries
Things got a little tense at the bottom of the inning. Clement grounded out to Betts to begin the inning. Gimenez, the No. 9 hitter, tried moving his hand to get hit by Wrobleski’s 1-2 pitch, which was high and inside. The next pitch did plunk Gimenez, again high and inside. While the situation certainly didn’t call for Wrobleski to drill Gimenez, one could understand if there was a little intent. Regardless, benches and bullpens emptied, but there were no punches thrown, just intense conversation. After things calmed down, a camera caught Freeman chatting with Gimenez, then Schneider coming over to first to have a word with Freeman.
Benches clear in #WorldSeries Game 7 after Andrés Giménez is hit by a pitch by Justin Wrobleski in the 4th inning.
Springer followed by lining the second pitch right off Wrobleski. What could have been a double-play ball ended up as a ricochet single, with Gimenez on second. Wrobleski was uninjured and bounced back by striking out Lukes on four pitches for his final batter. Roberts brought on right-handed starter Tyler Glasnow to face Guerrero, who lined out to center to end the inning.
Fifth Inning
Scherzer knew his pitches were numbered at this point. But he started the fifth by striking out Enrique Hernandez with a 73.2 mph curveball. Rojas, a rarely used infielder who was inserted into the lineup for Game 6, then notched his first hit since Oct. 1 — exactly a month before — to put an end to Scherzer’s night. The veteran slapped his chest and pointed to the crowd as he walked off to a standing ovation, perhaps the final act of a tremendous career.
One final ovation in 2025 for the Hall of Famer 👏 #WANTITALL
— Toronto Blue Jays (Bot) (@bluejaysbot.bsky.social) 2025-11-02T02:00:28.000Z
Rubber-armed Louis Varland replaced Scherzer and, in the process, set the MLB postseason record by appearing in 15 games (the Jays played 18 games). Varland’s first hitter was Ohtani, who grounded a single to right, moving Rojas to second. But as he did so often this postseason, Varland retired the next two hitters, Smith and Freeman, this time on back-to-back fly balls to center.
That would send the game to the sixth inning as the intensity continued to increase with every pitch and every out, with the Jays holding a 3-1 lead.
