game. Seven.
tonight, a world Series A champion will be crowned. Will it be the one? los angeles dodgers repeat, making them the first team since 2000 to go back-to-back New York Yankeesor it will toronto blue jays‘First title in 32 years?
We’re here covering all the action from live analysis during the game to our takeaways after the final pitch.
live analysis
game cast: Follow the pitch-by-pitch action here
Lineup
on par with series 3
Starting pitchers: shohei ohtani versus max shazer
dodgers
1. shohei ohtani (L) P
2. Will Smith (R) C
3. freddy freeman (L) 1B
4. mookie bets (r) ss
5. max munsey (L)3B
6. teoscar hernandez (R) RF
7. tommy adman (s) cf
8. enrique hernandez (R) LF
9. miguel rojas (R) 2B
blue Jays
1. george springer (R) DH
2. Nathan Lukes (l) lf
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.(R) 1B
4. bo bichet (R) 2B
5. addison barger (L) RF
6. alejandro kirk (R) C
7. dolton varsho (l) cf
8. ernie clement (R)3B
9. andres jimenez (l) ss
How can the Blue Jays set up their pitching in Game 7?
The first rule of Game 7, as manager John Schneider said immediately after Game 6, is that everyone is available. he even said kevin gosmanJoe, who just threw 93 pitches in Game 6, will be available. No, it wouldn’t be unprecedented for him to pitch: Randy Johnson started Game 6 for the Diamondbacks in 2001 and then pitched the final four to win Game 7.
max shazer There’s a Game 7 starter, but the Blue Jays’ bullpen is in great position to absorb multiple innings. close to Jeff Hoffman Did not pitch in Game 6, so he is on two days’ rest and may pitch a few innings. Schneider used four of his other top relievers in Game 6 (louis verlandLefty mason fluharty, seranthony dominguez And Chris Bassitt), but neither one threw more than 17 pitches, so while they are available as needed, Fluharty may be tasked with passing it at some point. shohei ohtani,Will Smith,freddy freeman Part of the lineup.
Bassitt did not pitch in the postseason until the ALCS, but has now thrown 7⅔ scoreless innings while allowing only one hit. Schneider will have to consider him a multi-inning option. game 4 starter shane bieber Pitching on three days’ rest would be an option after throwing 81 pitches.
In fact, it all points to a pretty quick hook for Scherzer. Although he has survived his two postseason starts – two runs in 5⅔ innings against the Mariners and then three runs in 4⅓ innings against the Dodgers – he has allowed five walks and three homers in those 10 innings, so he has hardly dominated. Remember, he was terrible in September (10.20 ERA), and his two postseason starts have come on 21 and 10 days’ rest. Now, he will start on four days’ rest. With Bassitt and Bieber available, the Jays can only ask for three innings from Scherzer and will likely be ready to get him out before trouble occurs. –David Scoenfield
How can the Dodgers set up their pitching in Game 7?
The Dodgers plan to start with Shohei Ohtani, and it makes sense for several reasons. for one, tyler glasnowwho was previously lined up to start Game 7, was moved out of the bullpen to close Game 6. More importantly, the start is the easiest way to get Ohtani on the mound.
Due to the two-way rule, coming in as a reliever would mean that Ohtani would have to play a position – in this case, the outfield, where he has not played all season – in order to bat again after coming in as a reliever. If it opens then it is not so. Ohtani could close out, as he did to close out the 2023 World Baseball Classic for his native Japan, but that would present other logistical challenges. When does it get hot? And what effect will this have on him preparing to bat in his turn? Or if he’s busy running the bases?
So, expect Ohtani to start – and stay on the field as long as he is effective and at his best. After that, Glasnow should be available to play big innings. He has never thrown in back-to-back games, but he also threw only three pitches in Game 6. After that? roki sasaki Will be available, although he threw 33 pitches Friday night. so it is possible blake snellThat started Game 5. Ideally, the Dodgers won’t have to venture any further than that. – Alden Gonzalez
What should we expect to see from Ohtani in Game 7?
Ohtani started once on three days’ rest: April 21, 2023. But that was after throwing only two innings in his previous start. This time, he’ll take to the biggest stage after a six-inning, 93-pitch start. Therefore, there is no precedent from which any conclusion can be drawn. But Ohtani loves this moment. He showed it two weeks ago, when he homered three times and earned a pennant while pitching six scoreless innings. And he showed it two years ago, when he came out of the bullpen in Miami and struck out then-teammate mike trout To win Major League Baseball’s prestigious international tournament. No matter the expectations, Ohtani will strive to exceed them. — Gonzalez
The Dodgers’ bats finally got going in Game 6. What does LA need to do to keep this going?
The Dodgers need to be themselves. It sounds strange, and it is. But that’s part of the story of Game 6. After all his struggles on offense, the strikeouts quickly piled up against Kevin Gausman. But he kept working on his at-bats, increasing his pitch count, and putting together the rally they needed. It hasn’t been pretty, but that’s how the Dodgers are built. mookie bets The crime was finally investigated and Saturday felt much better about things going on. He is very big. The Dodgers have scored six runs in their last three games, and the lineup is too loaded to keep that going. Of course, that doesn’t mean the smell will be gone by Saturday. — Bradford Doolittle
The Blue Jays hitters were uncharacteristically quiet in Game 6. How can they get back on track?
Everyone has been unusually quiet against it yoshinobu yamamoto this postseason, so it’s not like the Blue Jays need to change much after scoring just once in Game 6. They’ll likely face Ohtani on short rest, Glasnow at no time, Sasaki on back-to-back nights, or some combination of all of the above. Toronto has been in this situation as recently as the ALCS and is unlikely to fall short at the plate for the second consecutive night at home. As Brad said for the Dodgers, the message for the Jays should be to just be themselves. –Jesse Rogers
What are the X factors on each side that could decide Game 7?
Game 7 has turned two players into Hall of Famers: Bill Mazeroski (1960) and Jack Morris (1991) probably would not have been inducted without their World Series Game 7 performances. Hall of Famers such as Walter Johnson (1924), Yogi Berra (1956), Sandy Koufax (1965), Bob Gibson (1967) and Willie Stargell (1979) have starred in Game 7. Unsung greats like Ray Knight (1986), charlie morton (2017) and Howie Kendrick (2019) have stepped up at this time. Role players such as Gene Larkin (1991) and Craig Counsell (1997) have produced heroic late starts.
In other words, anything can happen. Anyone can be a hero. That’s the whole beauty of this game. The easiest answer here is two stars: Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.Gets an opportunity to put an exclamation mark on their amazing postseason. It may very well be that whoever has the better game will lead his team to victory.
If you want a less obscure X factor, let’s go with Will Smith for Los Angeles and Chris Bassitt for Toronto. The Blue Jays have shown their reluctance to pitch to Ohtani at times. If they are again giving up too many intentional walks — although seeing as how it backfired in Game 6, Schneider could go back after Ohtani as he did in Games 4 and 5 — that will give Smith a chance to hit with a runner on base. For the Jays, it’s just that Scherzer is unlikely to go very deep into games, and Bassitt is the guy who will likely be asked to chew up two or three innings in the middle stretch. –Schoenfield
Finally, prediction time: who will be the final team?
Rogers: Toronto would win 4-2, Max Scherzer would make his place in the history books, while Guerrero would be an easy MVP pick.
Doolittle: This is the Dodgers’ baseball world, and the other 29 teams are just tenants. I don’t really believe it, but I do believe the Blue Jays’ best chance to win was Friday. Now, they’ll have to navigate a Dodgers lineup that’s a bit of a champ and a pitching staff that can roll out Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell in the same game. I’m taking LA and although I would be shocked if it was Runaway, I don’t think it would be that dramatic. Dodgers 7, Blue Jays 3.
Schoenfield: The Blue Jays were my pick at seven for the World Series, so I’ll stick with that. Their pitching situation is in much better shape, and the Dodgers may be struggling to fill all nine innings. And, really, it’s not like the Dodgers’ bats broke down in a big way in Game 6. The Jays haven’t touched Yamamoto, but he’s not starting this game.
