2025 world series It’s back to Canada on Friday night for Game 6 with toronto blue jays one victory away from ousting los angeles dodgers,
Will the Blue Jays close the deal at Rogers Center or will the Dodgers find a way to bounce back? And who is the World Series MVP through five games?
Our MLB expert explains what Toronto and LA should do in the final game of this Fall Classic.
How surprised are you that this series is coming back to Toronto with the Blue Jays up 3-2?
David Schoenfield: Hey, I picked the Blue Jays out of seven, and one main reason for going with them stands out: concerns about the Dodgers’ bat. They are hitting just .201 in the World Series and .236 overall in the postseason (and .214 since the start of the NLDS, while averaging only 3.5 runs per game).
until it feels like shohei ohtani If he is hitting the ball over the fence, he is going to have problems scoring runs. Mookie Betts’ struggles are particularly problematic: He’s 3-for-23 in the World Series without an extra-base hit or RBI. He has six hard-hit balls (95-plus mph), but only one ball in play at 100 mph, and in those six plate appearances he is 1-for-6.
Jorge Castillo: If I had been presented with this scenario before the series started I would not have been surprised as I had picked the Blue Jays to win in seven games. But I thought Toronto was in trouble not only after losing Game 3 like that, but after losing george springer to get hurt. Blue Jays bounce back after those two setbacks – beat Shohei Ohtani in Game 4 trey yesways Made more history in Game 5–highly impressive.
Who is the MVP of this series in the first five games?
Jesse Rogers: With all due respect to what the young Jays did in Game 5, the Blue Jays wouldn’t have a chance in this series without his contributions Vladimir Guerrero Jr.He has been the most consistent – as well as dominant – hitter on any team this postseason, including this series. That’s saying something considering some of Ohtani’s heroics, but given how good Guerrero has been. He is hitting .364 with two important home runs in Games 4 and 5. No matter what happens in Games 6 and 7, he could be your MVP.
Alden Gonzalez: I agree with Jesse on Vlad. But addison barger He actually has a higher OPS than Vlad in this series at 1.147. And alejandro kirk Right behind Barger at 1.125. And so, even though it’s obviously not possible, I’d like to give this entire Blue Jays offense an MVP — which to milwaukee brewers Couldn’t do it against an impressive rotation, and got the Dodgers to show what’s possible against the high-level pitching teams they face at this time of year.
The Blue Jays have been without Springer these past few games and have been playing very limited bo bichetAnd yet they have outscored the Dodgers by 11 runs in this series and by 36 runs in the entire postseason. In all three of their wins, they have perfectly followed the blueprint for defeating this Dodgers pitching staff – putting the starting pitcher to work, then attacking the middle relievers.
What do you expect from Yamamoto vs. Gausman 2.0 in Game 6 after the Game 2 pitching duel?
Bradford Doolittle: yoshinobu yamamoto Is on a roll. The Dodgers’ offense isn’t very good. This suggests a low-scoring duel and a game being decided by one or two runs. The likelihood of Yamamoto throwing nine more is low from a pure probability standpoint, and frankly the Dodgers shouldn’t need him to do so with only two more games to cover and the availability of starters like Ohtani and. blake snell All-hands-on-deck in the bullpen for Game 7.
After 15 shutouts in Game 5, the Dodgers will be desperate for contact and it will show in how aggressive they are against Gausman in the beginning. It’s a difficult balance. kevin gosman Okay guys, but you can’t be too passive with him because he’ll bury you once you get the lead in the count. It will be a great cat-and-mouse game from both sides.
Castillo: Another duel. Yamamoto has been the best pitcher this postseason and nothing looks like he’s going to be in trouble. A third consecutive complete game is asking a lot, but it should at least give the Dodgers a quality start. Gausman, on the other hand, played very well in the playoffs and held Yamamoto in Game 2 until the seventh inning. The struggling Dodgers offense may not need much to back up Yamamoto, but Gausman won’t make it easy.
The Blue Jays will be World Series champions if…
Rogers: They simply maintain pressure on the plate. Despite some great moments on the field for the Dodgers, Toronto’s dangerous lineup caused enough havoc to take the lead in the series. If he doesn’t get much use from the Dodgers’ starters in the next game or perhaps two, his ability to connect late against LA’s pen is always a threat. Toronto has proven that it has the longest and best lineup ever. This is their key to winning this weekend.
Schoenfield: Vlad Jr. keeps hitting bombs. The Jays can win without him – they won Game 7 of the ALCS, even though he went 1-for-4 without a run or RBI – but he is, as Reggie Jackson might say, the straw that stirs the drink.
As mentioned above, even if they lose Game 6, at least take Yamamoto out and force Dave Roberts to use roki sasaki There will be another key. It looks like if it goes to a Game 7, Roberts’ scope of trust may be limited to the starter tyler glasnowSasaki, Ohtani and probably Snell. Glasnow has topped six innings in his three playoff starts, so if the Blue Jays can at least force Sasaki into Game 6, perhaps it limits Roberts’ relief options in Game 7 — or forces him to use someone else from the unreliable bullpen.
The Dodgers could force a Game 7 (and win it) if…
Doolittle: To me, Game 6 is the Blue Jays’ best chance to end the series. I like the Dodgers’ pitching outlook for Game 7 a lot, from starters to options in extended bullpens. He needs to get Gausman on the scoreboard early, ideally by stringing together some disciplined at-bats that increase his pitch count.
I have a feeling Yamamoto will pull his weight, whether he completes the game or not. But one or two or more of the Dodgers’ struggling stars will have to remind us why L.A.’s offense was so terrible during the regular season, because you can’t count on the Blue Jays’ offense to be completely shut down. They are much more consistent.
Gonzalez: Their offense falls back on manufacturing runs. The Dodgers are slashing just .214/.306/.360 since the wild-card round. In that period, he has scored three or more runs in only three of his 123 half-innings. Two players in particular need to step up: mookie betswho hits between ohtani and freddy freeman But only 3 of 23 in the World Series; And alex callwho will likely replace the struggling andy pages Once again who else needs to reach base at the No. 9 spot could see more RBI opportunities at the top of the lineup.
