By Robert Ortiz, Staff Writer
As the World Series concludes, with the Dodgers beating the Blue Jays, RHHS Baseball players have described how their initial predictions played out, along with their conflicting thoughts as the Series unfolded. The Dodgers entered the Series hot after a 4 – 0 sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers, while the Toronto Blue Jays came off a close 4 – 3 battle against the Seattle Mariners. Many thought the winner would dominate, but these two teams produced a World Series unlike any that had come before.
When asked what might decide the World Series, Bobby Bixby, center fielder for the River Hill Hawks baseball team, stated that he “wants the Blue Jays to win because they are underdogs.” Another Hawks baseball player, Carson Naecker, an outfielder and third baseman, agreed with Bixby’s previous claim, saying that “If I had to root for a team, it would be the Blue Jays because they are underdogs.”
However, Naecker predicted that “the Dodgers will win because they have better players. They have Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, for example.” Ohtani is the main star of the show because of a career-defining performance in Game 4 vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, where he struck out 10 batters and hit 3 home runs. Bixby agreed, adding that “the Dodgers will win because they have a better team.”
After the first two games in Toronto, more questions emerged. In Game 1, both teams had great pitching. However, the Dodgers had a substantial fall off in the 6th inning. Number 7 for the Dodgers, pitcher Blake Snell, was doing a great job of holding off the Blue Jays in the first half of the game.
Despite this success, as his pitch count reached 100, the momentum of the game changed. As Snell weakened, the relief pitchers were brought in but were unable to halt the momentum shift, giving up 9 runs and ultimately being the reason they lost Game 1. Game 2 was another pitching duel. The main star of the show was Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers, throwing a complete game and not giving the Blue Jays a chance to gain any momentum after the 3rd inning. Earning them the win in their opponents’ backyard.
Jesse Jenkins, pitcher for the Hawks baseball team, noted that in the first game, the Blue Jays “started to read Snell’s pitches and he fell off significantly.” With the Blue Jays bringing up Snell’s pitch count, they were able to see what he was throwing more easily because the batters had more opportunity to stand in front of him.
Jenkins, backing up his previous claim, stated that the “Blue Jays got a grasp of Snell’s velocity. You can’t have the same guy who has a very repetitive pitching style, pitching constantly, or for too long.” Snell, loading the bases, was taken out in hopes of preventing any more damage being done. Despite this attempt, number 47 for the Blue Jays, Addison Barger, crushed a grand slam off of relief pitcher Anthony Banda during the chaos.
Going into Game 3, the series was tied at 1-1. Both teams had shown their strong roster. Batting and pitching were great on both sides. A typical baseball game goes 9 innings. This game in particular was an unexpectedly long one for the fans. Amounting to a historic 18 innings over the course of 7 hours. Bixby remarked that “the spectators in attendance got a bang for their buck because of the 18 innings.” An 18-inning baseball game is scarce and has only occurred 5 times in MLB postseason history.
The starting pitcher for the Blue Jays, Max Scherzer, although great at first, eventually gave up 3 runs in the 4 innings he pitched. Rooting for the Toronto Blue Jays, Bixby mentioned that “Max Scherzer was a horrible pick for the mound.” After 11 innings of no home runs and both teams using a combined 19 pitchers, the end of the game came, with Freddie Freeman for the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th. The second time Freeman has hit a walk-off to win a World Series Game. Despite rooting for the opposing team, Bixby said that “Freddie has been around for a long time and I’m glad to see he still has some spark.”
Although Game 3 was thought to be a momentum shift in the World Series, this was completely wrong. The Blue Jays came into Games 4 and 5 to shut down the Dodgers’ offense. Leading in the score by 3 – 2. In both games combined, they only gave up 3 runs, while obtaining 12 themselves and showcasing an offensive masterclass, taking advantage of the Dodgers’ consistent issues with pitching.
The Dodgers would look great in the first few innings, but would fall off quickly in the latter half. Rewinding to Game 2, when the Dodgers had their best performance, centerfielder of the Hawks Baseball team, Andres Contreras, said that “there was a noticeable difference in skill and at least competitiveness when Yamamoto pitched.” Yoshinobu Yamamoto stopped any major advances from the Blue Jays for 9 innings straight.
Yamamoto, booked to pitch for Game 6, replicated the success he had in Game 2. Although he didn’t pitch for the full game, he pitched 6 innings and again, only allowed 1 run. With another great performance, the Dodgers, along with the Blue Jays, advanced into the final game of the World Series, tied at 3 – 3.
This final game was all or nothing for both teams. In a sense, the last 6 games meant nothing because this one would decide the winner. Throughout this game, there were multiple moments where it could have ended for both teams. Miguel Rojas, in the bottom of the 9th, with the bases loaded, caught a ground ball hit by Dalton Varsho and lined it to home plate to prevent the Blue Jays from securing their first World Series win since 1993.
Immediately after that game-saving play, Andy Pages collided with Kike Hernández to catch a deep pop-up by Ernie Clement. In response to this play, Contreras noted that “if they collided and it wasn’t caught, that would have been the game.” Once again, a play, based on inches, that saved the Dodgers from defeat, forcing the game into extra innings for the second time in the 7-game series.
After a stalemate in the 10th, going into the top of the 11th inning, catcher for the Dodgers, Will Smith, nailed a ball to left field, getting a solo home run and earning the Dodgers the lead. Contreras said that the Dodgers “made great plays that eventually shut down the Blue Jays’ chances of winning. Yamamoto came in at the very end; his pitching was amazing.” Yamamoto, tasked with closing the game with his pitching, did exactly that. Forcing Alejandro Kirk into a slow ground ball that led to a double play for the Dodgers. Once more, saving the game by a thread, and making the Dodgers back-to-back World Series champions.
The 2025 World Series was incredibly competitive and will be remembered for years to come. From the 18-inning game to the constant back-and-forths in the score, Contreras ended with the conclusion that “both teams had great defense, but it really came down to the small moments.” Similarly, noting that the 4 – 3 score and constant close calls indicate a “well-fought” series. In a postseason that was defined by resilience and grit, the Dodgers found it when it was needed the most.