November 1, 2025 [LINK / comment]
World Series 2025: It's a thriller!
It's not the matchup I was hoping for, but no one can doubt that this year's World Series has provided supreme entertainment and drama for baseball fans. The Los Angeles Dodgers were strongly favored, and yet the Blue Jays trounced them (11-4) in Game 1 at home in Toronto. The visitors evened the series by winning Game 2 by a score of 5-1, and then Game 3 in Los Angeles was one for the record books. Max Scherzer (formerly of the Washington Nationals, as everyone knows) was the starting pitcher and did OK until the Dodgers got a couple base runners in the 5th inning. He left the mound with a 4-2 lead, but his replacement Mason Fluharty allowed two runs to score, tying the game, and he himself was replaced after only getting one out. Both teams scored a run in the 7th inning (the Dodgers' phenomenal Shohei Ohtani hit a solo homer, his second of the night; WHY did they pitch to him?), and that was it for the next ten innings. Without the stupid "ghost runner" rule in effect, neither team scored until the 18th inning, [when Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman hit a walkoff homer to center field]. It was a lot like Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, when the Dodgers beat the Red Sox 3-2 in 18 innings! That heartbreaking loss for the Blue Jays seemed like it would put the Dodgers in the driver's seat, but instead, the visiting team then won Games 4 and 5 quite handily. (Ohtani was the losing pitcher one night after his historic performance in Game 3 with two homers, two doubles, plus several walks.) Last night back in Toronto was a potential elimination game, and the Blue Jays had a golden opportunity to tie or win the game, with runners on second and third base with nobody out. Thanks to a popup and a stunning 7-4 double play (Addison Barger failed to get back to second base), the Dodgers held on to win Game 6, 3-1. So, tonight is the big decisive Game 7!
The Brad Paisley factor
In one of those bizarre coincidences, Brad Paisley was the singer of the National Anthem of this year's World Series Game 3 as well as Game 3 in 2018! Not only that, in the other two World Series games in which he sang the National Anthem, the games also went into extra innings! That would be the 2017 World Series Game 2 (which Houston ended up winning 7-6 in 11 innings) and 2024 Game 1 (when the Dodgers beat the Yankees 6-3 in 10 innings). Stranger than fiction!
Comparing the ballparks
As is my annual custom (except for occasional long delays), I present the home ballparks of the two World Series teams, for easy comparison. The two stadiums [Rogers Centre and Dodger Stadium] have hardly anything in common except having a larger-than-average seating capacity.
Just roll your mouse over the thumbnail images to switch between the respective full-size diagrams. NOTE: The Rogers Centre diagram will be revised in the near future to take account of renovations over the past two years.
Well, it's time for the first pitch. Gotta go!