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The one thing this postseason had been missing was a good back-and-forth game. We certainly got that in Game 3 of the World Series. Each team had lead at least one lead, only to see the other team come back and tie it. There were miscues and makeups. Some stumbling and bumbling. A TOOTBLAN. Missed opportunities. Standout efforts out of the bullpens. Some incredible offense. Some incredible heads-up defense. One incredible game.
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World Series Wrapup
18 Is Enough: Freeman HR Walks It Off For Dodgers
In a game that had a little bit of almost everything, including the game’s best player reaching base nine times, the Los Angeles Dodgers survived an epic duel with the Toronto Blue Jays to move within two wins of repeating as World Series champion. Freddie Freeman led off the bottom of the 18th inning with a home run to center field as the Dodgers beat the Jays 6-5 at Dodger Stadium. Freeman’s blast off Jays left-hander Brandon Little gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The game tied for the longest in World Series history, mimicking Game 3 in 2018 when the Dodgers’ Max Muncy walked off the Boston Red Sox with a leadoff homer in the 18th for a 3-2 win. It was Freeman’s second World Series walk-off — the first player to do that — having won Game 1 last year vs. the New York Yankees with a ninth-inning grand slam, the first walk-off slam in the Fall Classic.
Two-way Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani set numerous records with two homers as part of a 4-for-4, five-walk performance. Ohtani is just the fourth player in MLB history to reach base nine times in any game, regular season or postseason, and the first to do it in the postseason. His second homer was the last scoring before Freeman’s walk-off, a one-out shot on the first pitch Ohtani saw from Seranthony Domínguez in the seventh inning. That was his fourth extra-base hit, tying the World Series record set by Frank Isbell of the Chicago White Sox in Game 5 in 1906. It was Ohtani’s third multihomer game this postseason, making him the first to do that.
Aside from Ohtani, there were a handful of heroes as the bullpens dominated the final 11 innings. For the Blue Jays, that was left-hander Eric Lauer. He went 4⅔ innings, coming in with one out in the 12th inning, going longer than 41-year-old Jays starter Max Scherzer, who recorded one less out while setting a record by becoming the first pitcher to appear in four World Series with different teams. Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, like Scherzer a three-time Cy Young Award winner, got L.A. out of the biggest jam of extra innings when he came in with the bases loaded and two outs in the 12th. In his first career extra-innings appearance, Kershaw battled Nathan Lukes, who grounded out to second on a 3-2 pitch.
But the most unlikely showing came from Dodgers right-hander Will Klein. After not being included on the roster for the first three rounds, Klein was added for the World Series and pitched one inning in a mopup role in the Dodgers 11-4 loss in Game 1. But he was needed to chew up innings in Game 3 as the last reliever coming out of the bullpen. Klein, who has been dealt three times since last year’s trade deadline, came on to start the 15th inning after Edgardo Henriquez, who last recorded an out exactly a month before, had gone two hitless innings. All Klein did was go four innings, allowing one hit and two walks with five strikeouts. Klein gutted out the last of his four innings, know that Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched a complete game on 105 pitches just two days prior, was warming up in the bullpen. Never before had Klein gone more than two innings in his young MLB career and never had thrown more than 36 pitches. He doubled both of those in Game 3.
The Dodgers had the better threats in extra innings, mainly thanks to the four extra-inning walks to Ohtani, who also was walked intentionally in the ninth. But the Dodgers couldn’t cash in on any of those opportunities.
The first seven innings featured plenty of action. There was the questionable strike call to the Jays’ Daulton Varsho that led to Bo Bichette being picked off first base, Jays right fielder Addison Barger throwing out Freeman at the plate with a 98.5 mph throw in the third inning to keep the Dodgers from going up 3-0, Alejandro Kirk’s momentum-changing three-run homer in a four-run Toronto fourth inning, Ohtani and Freeman driving in runs to tie the game 4-4 in the fifth inning and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scoring from first with a terrific slide on Bo Bichette’s single to right that deflected off the wall. But Ohtani tied it with his 401-foot blast to left-center.
Now, after yet another historic offensive performance by Ohtani in a game that lasted 6 hours, 39 minutes, Ohtani will make his first World Series start as a pitcher about 17 hours after Game 3 ended. His last postseason performance when he was a starting pitcher was one of the best any player has put up in any game. Ohtani went 3-for-3 with three homers, while allowing two hits in six shutout innings in the clinching Game 4 of the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. If he comes anywhere close to duplicating those feats, Ohtani will put the Dodgers within one game of becoming MLB’s first repeat champion since the 1998-2000 Yankees won three in a row.
Bo Bichette is picked off for the first out of the 2nd inning #WorldSeries
Addison Barger's perfect throw prevents a run at the plate #WorldSeries
Error on Tommy Edman allows the Jays to have runners on first and third with no one out
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-28T01:16:53.000Z
Andrés Giménez tacks on another run for the Jays #WorldSeries
Shohei Ohtani makes it a 1-run game! #WorldSeries
Freddie for the tie! #WorldSeries
— Los Angeles Dodgers (bot) (@dodgersbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-28T02:06:14.000Z
THE BLUE JAYS END THE 6TH INNING ON A WILD PLAY #WORLDSERIES
BO MY GOODNESS!Bo Bichette drives in the go-ahead run on the 7th pitch of the at-bat #WorldSeries
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. JUST beat the tag 😱#WorldSeries
ALEJANDRO KIRK CATCHES SHOHEI STEALING #WORLDSERIES
TEXTBOOK RELAYTHE DODGERS KEEP THE GAME TIED HEADED TO THE BOTTOM HALF! #WORLDSERIES
CLAYTON KERSHAW STRANDS THE BASES LOADED! #WORLDSERIES
By The Numbers
⚾ Shohei Ohtani is the first hitter to have multiple games with 12 or more bases in a single postseason. Only Babe Ruth had two games with 12 bases in a postseason career.
⚾ Ohtani is the first player in postseason history to have been intentionally walked four times.
Shohei Ohtani is the first player to be intentionally walked four times in a postseason gameOnly players to be IBBed 4+ times in a reg season game, since IBB official (1955):2025 James Wood 2004 Barry Bonds (4 games)2001 Manny Ramirez 1990 Andre Dawson1985 Garry Templeton1962 Roger Maris
— Sarah Langs (@slangsonsports.bsky.social) 2025-10-28T05:57:36.199Z
⚾ There were 609 pitches thrown by the two teams, who used a combined 19 pitchers, including a record 10 by the Dodgers.
⚾ Ohtani has eight homers this postseason, tying the Dodgers’ record for a single postseason and two shy of Randy Arozarena’s MLB record set in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Around The World Series
Springer Exits, Set For MRI
While the Game 3 loss was painful, the Blue Jays are bracing for what could be even worse news. Designated hitter and leadoff hitter George Springer was removed from the game during his seventh-inning at-bat after fouling off the first pitch. Manager John Schneider said Springer would have an MRI with what is being called right side discomfort. It has all the markings of an oblique injury, but any time missed now by the Jays’ player with the most postseason experience would be devastating at this juncture. Ty France came in to complete the at-bat and continued as the DH before later himself being replaced by Davis Schneider.
George Springer was in pain after this swing and he leaves the game
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-28T02:34:21.000Z
Betts Wins Clemente Award
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts added another honor to his burgeoning trophy case when he was named the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award winner. The prestigious honor goes to the player who best represents Clemente’s values. Betts and wife Brianna have the 5050 Foundation that they run. The foundation’s focus is on kids in the the Los Angeles and Nashville areas (both grew up in Nashville). The foundation also made a $160,000 donation to battle homelessness in L.A. and helped a family displaced by the Eaton fire.
Best Moments From Yesterday
No One Like Nomo
Former Dodgers star Hideo Nomo threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who followed Nomo’s footsteps in coming to MLB from Japan.
Hi, Sandy
Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax was in the house.
Four-time #WorldSeries champion Sandy Koufax is at Game 3 in Los Angeles!
IYKYK
Blue Jays DH George Springer received an expected greeting in his World Series return to Dodger Stadium
George Springer gets loud boos from the Dodgers crowd
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-27T23:49:19.000Z
Just Missed It
Will Smith of the Dodgers thought he had a walk-off homer leading off the 14th. It came up a little shy.
Deja Vu
There have been two 18-inning World Series games. Ever. Both ended in walk-off homers leading off the 18th, both won by the Dodgers. One in 2018, the other Monday. Both were Game 3s.
The 469
Remember that monstrous homer Shohei Ohtani hit in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series? It now is commemorated with a plaque in the right-field pavilion at Dodger Stadium.
Noteworthy News
Extra Bases
⚾ The Baltimore Orioles made it official, announcing the hire of Craig Albernaz as their new manager. Multiple reports surfaced Sunday about the hire of the Cleveland Guardians‘ associate manager.
⚾ Longtime Houston Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy is leaving the team to take the same position with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates, who led MLB with 18 shutouts and have a staff led by NL Cy Young Award front-runner Paul Skenes, did not bring back pitching coach Oscar Marin and assistant pitching coach Brent Strom. Murphy, 36, has been with the Astros organization since 2016 and learned under Strom.
⚾ Troy Snitker, son of former Atlanta manager Brian Snitker and a hitting coach with the Astros since 2019, has been hired as hitting coach by the New York Mets. It is the latest move to reshape manager Carlos Mendoza’s staff. The Mets have already promoted Jeff Albert to director of major-league hitting, so Snitker will slot in just below him.
⚾ Former World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg is returning to his alma mater to become a special assistant to the coach for the San Diego State baseball team. The three-time All-Star with the Washington Nationals is a San Diego-area native and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft.
Articles You Should Read
How the Dodgers became the first MLB team to hit $1 billion in revenue — Kurt Badenhausen, Spotico
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