Freddie Freeman hit a winning grand slam in Game 1 of last year’s World Series against the New York Yankees, courtesy of the generosity of manager Aaron Boone. He sent Nestor Cortes, who hadn’t pitched in over thirty days, to the mound.
And just over 365 days later, Freeman once again caused hysteria among the fans gathered at Dodger Stadium when he hit a three-ball, two-strike count pitch over the center field fence to finally end one of the best Fall Classic games ever after 18 innings of action.
And following this historic moment, the California first baseman spoke with MLB Network’s Lauren Shehadi for a few moments.
I just missed one, I think it was 22 innings ago.
Indeed, it felt like this marathon had lasted more than twenty innings, with the last pitch of the game coming six hours and 39 minutes after the first.
With this bomb, Freeman became the first player in MLB history to hit more than one game-winning home run in the World Series.
Freeman had had another opportunity earlier to rewrite history, when after hitting an Eric Lauer fastball in the thirteenth inning, he put down his bat and started toward the first cushion certain (or almost certain) that it was there. The ball eventually landed in the glove of Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho at the warning track.
It remains to be seen whether Freeman has any magic left in his bat for the rest of this World Series and for years to come.
After an epic 18-inning battle spanning six hours and 39 minutes, the Toronto Blue Jays were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Freddie Freeman’s home run off reliever Brandon Little.
But not only did the Blue Jays lose game three of the World Series in heartbreaking fashion, they may also have lost the services of one of their best hitters. George Springer had to undergo an MRI due to right-side discomfort after leaving the game in the middle of a seventh-inning at-bat.
After swinging, he immediately touched the right side of his back and winced. He then walked around the batter’s box to try to banish the pain, but quickly headed for his team’s dugout and was removed from the game. He was then replaced by Ty France at designated hitter.
After the game, manager John Schneider gave a few details on the condition of his colt.
It’s a right-side discomfort. He’s already had an MRI. We’ll see how it comes back and how he presents himself tomorrow. But it sucks. He’s obviously an important part of our line-up.
For the record, “tomorrow” had already arrived by the time the manager spoke in Los Angeles.
John Schneider on George Springer:
"It’s some right side discomfort. He’s already gone for a MRI. We’ll see how it comes back and see how he walks up tomorrow. But it sucks. He’s obviously a huge part of our lineup. "#BlueJays
It effectively sucks for the Jays, as Schneider mentions, when Springer has hit four home runs in the playoffs so far, in addition to posting a .246 batting average and .884 OPS during the fall dance.
Certainly, a possible absence of the 36-year-old could allow Bo Bichette to occupy the designated hitter spot in the offensive role. However, while this would be the ideal situation for Little Doe, it would be quite different for the Blue Jays, who would be deprived of their number-one hitter in a series where runs aren’t easy to come by.
Yesterday, you could say the game had the makings of a World Series classic. And I said that last night, long before the Dodgers won it in 18 innings: it was all a ball game.
There are several takeaways from all this. First, it’s impossible to overlook the fact that this was the second time the Dodgers had made it to the 18th inning of a World Series game since 2018. Max Muncy had ended the debate against Boston.
Here, Freddie Freeman did it in the longest game of the 2025 Series. It was three more innings than the Tigers v. Mariners game.
Freeman, who hit a walk-off home run in Game #1 of the 2024 World Series against the Yankees, is the only player in history with two World Serieswalk-offs.
Freddie Freeman’s two postseason walk-off home runs are tied for the most in postseason history, with:
David Ortiz Carlos Correa Bernie Williams
Freeman is the only one with two in the World Series
But we must also mention the defensive play of both teams. Teoscar Hernandez’s four hits. Of the two teams that used more than 20 players each for 6:39 yesterday.
In fact, the Blue Jays used their entire bench and only had three pitchers available at the end of the game: Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber. Bieber will pitch tonight, even though he warmed up late in the game.
For the Dodgers, bench players remained (I’d have taken Will Smith out of there first, but oh well) and only two pitchers were available: Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who warmed up despite throwing 105 pitches on Saturday.
A crazy game, I say.
🚨 YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO IS UP IN THE DODGERS BULLPEN HERE IN THE 18TH INNING
On both sides, the relievers were incredible (more so than the offense, which did nothing on both edges from the eighth inning to the 17th) and held the game at arm’s length. Eric Lauer and Will Klein, who each pitched more than four innings, were heroes for their club.
In fact, according to Lauer, everyone is ready to do it again tonight.
Eric Lauer on the Blue Jays' bullpen: "Honestly, almost everybody's going to be ready to go tomorrow. I mean it's the World Series. No one wants to miss an inning."
Earlier, I said that the Dodgers had two pitchers left, but I didn’t include Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani will be pitching tonight, and there was no chance of the DH pitching the day before he left.
But let’s talk about the DH… who just wanted to go to bed once the game was over.
In his first four at-bats, he placed the ball in a safe place four times: two doubles and two home runs. Even then, we thought he was erasing his reputation as the guy who doesn’t hit in the playoffs.
But he added five base appearances: four intentional walk-offs and one walk-off where he wasn’t challenged. In short, he got on base nine times.
That’s a playoff record and tied the regular-season mark in Major League Baseball history. All this, as I said, just hours before the start of Game 4 of the World Series.
Expect more of the same tonight: if he has to, he’ll get free passes.
Blue Jays Manager John Schneider when asked if we should expect to see his team try to take the bat out of Ohtani's hands going forward this series:
In a game where Dave Roberts considered having a position player pitch, the Dodgers didn’t get a chance to see Shohei Ohtani make a difference because his bat was taken out of his hands.
And even though Freddie Freeman was the hero, it was the right thing to do for the Blue Jays. Being beaten by Shohei Ohtani was not an option.
The last time the Japanese had played at Dodger Stadium, he had distinguished himself by hitting three home runs and throwing six innings without giving up a run. We know what he’s capable of, and John Schneider did what he had to do.
But tonight, as a starter, Nippon will be more inevitable.
PMLB
Was Addison Barger taken out of the game too early? The question arises.
Reminder: the Canadiens play at 10:30 p.m. tonight in Seattle.
Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans are definitely not getting their beauty sleep tonight because of this Jays vs Dodgers World Series game pic.twitter.com/jaDlLuu7ue
Tyler Glasnow versus Max Scherzer: that was the duel on the heels of game #3 of the World Series tonight in California.
Early in the game, it was the umpires who robbed the Blue Jays of the show. It began, as we wrote earlier this evening, with the famous play with Bo Bichette on the paths.
On a clear ball 4, Varsho thinks he walked, Bo Bichette thinks he’s going to 2nd, ump somehow makes a late strike 3 call. What the hell was that @mlb#worldseries
Teoscar Hernandez and Shohei Ohtani then took advantage of the momentum to hit solo home runs… and the umpires once again stole the show for the Blue Jays.
It was weeping on Twitter, let’s say, to see Freddie Freeman declared safe on such a play.
But Toronto turned the tide. Freddie Freeman was pinned at the plate via a big throw from Addison Barger at the plate on a play minutes after the steal attempt.
Then, the forward did his job. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got on base and a Tommy Edman error brought (second baseman) Bo Bichette to the plate. Then Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run home run.
The Blue Jays added a fourth via a run produced by Andres Gimenez – and the score was 4-2 to the visitors. That’s 10 points produced in the 2025 series.
Tyler Glasnow had lost his early control. He ended up pitching 4.2 innings. That’s one more strikeout than Max Scherzer, who pitched 4.1 innings – and didn’t argue with his manager as he exited the game.
Shohei Ohtani’s double off Mason Fluharty added a third earned run to Scherzer’s record as Kiké Hernandez was on base due to the Blue Jays’ starting pitcher.
Fluharty (who was there to face the lefties) later allowed a hit to Freddie Freeman, who drove in Ohtani. The veteran produced his second run of the series, tied it 4-4… and that brought Louis Varland into the game.
In the sixth inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. imitated Addison Barger by showing his arm. What a great play to end an inning.
The Blue Jays are an exceptional defensive team. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. needed a perfect throw to nail Teoscar Hernández – and made it. Not a bad baserunning decision by Hernández. Just a strike and smooth-as-can-be Ernie Clement tag. pic.twitter.com/LwZAyZLuXT
Afterwards, the Blue Jays held their breath as George Springer hurt himself taking a swing. He wasn’t even able to finish his at-bat: Ty France entered the game as the pinch-hitter.
The Blue Jays regained the lead, however. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ran from first to home plate (despite tiring of a few attempted steals earlier) on a Bo Bichette base hit.
Bichette gave way to Isiah Kiner-Falefa for the rest of the game. #RunnerRunner
Shohei Ohtani then brought both teams back to square one with his second home run of the game. He also hit two doubles, making it a full game on the eve of his Game #4 start.
What a great ball player.
Shohei Ohtani is 4 for 4 with two doubles and two home runs, including a game-tying solo shot in the seventh. The best player on the planet continues to do best-player-on-the-planet things. pic.twitter.com/fh3De7FGsi
This excellent baseball game saw Shohei Ohtani go to the cushions again (intentional walk), but was retired on a steal attempt just after, in the ninth inning.
The game moved into the 10th inning, when Davis Schneider came to the plate to be retired 1,000 feet early. The third-base coach didn’t have a big game in him.
In a game where the dial came in handy to save our collective sleep (a little), both clubs passed many relievers. The defenses outdid themselves and it was an incredible game.
Clayton Kershaw in particular did well in the 12th inning.
But it was time for it to end. The Blue Jays, going into the 13th, had used 22 of their 26 guys. And on that, the club’s other three starters hadn’t been used, obviously.
In the 13th, the Dodgers came close, but… no. Intentional walks to Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts paid off.
The Blue Jays are walking Mookie to load the bases.
It was finally in the 18th inning that Freddie Freeman decided he’d had enough. He hit an important home run (as he did in 2024 against Nestor Cortes Jr.) to end the game.
Final score: 6-5 Dodgers.
PMLB
The Blue Jays didn’t like the decision against Bo Bichette.
“Very delayed call, pretty deliberate. Just didn’t say anything, so Varsh assumed it was a ball and Bo assumed.”
The Blue Jays were in California tonight to take on the Dodgers on the heels of Game #3 of the World Series. The series was tied 1-1 going into the game.
This was the Dodgers’ first home game in the fall classic. There will be three in a row.
In the second inning, the umpire decided to steal the show. As Tyler Glasnow threw a fourth pitch to Daulton Varsho, the batter threw his bat and Bo Bichette, who was at first base, took off for second.
But the umpire took a few (loooooong) seconds before deciding it was a strike after all. So Bichette found himself caught in a mousetrap… and because of the state of his knee, he looked like Bambi in front of tank lights on the highway: he froze.
If the ABS system had been in place, Varsho would have asked for a restart and would have had his goal on balls. John Schneider wouldn’t have had to come out and ask for an explanation. And the Blue Jays would probably have scored on Alejandro Kirk’s opposite-field hit.
But all that quickly ended the threat without Bichette on the paths and with one more out on the clock.
Let’s just say it hurt the Blue Jays, who would normally have scored via such an inning. And when Teoscar Hernandez hit his home run afterwards, it wouldn’t have given the Dodgers the lead.
Of course, it wasn’t all the umpire’s fault. Tyler Glasnow was in fine form, starting the game very well and being in control against the Blue Jays hitters.
You see unusual plays every day when you watch ball. But this one hurts. Will the frustrated Blue Jays be able to bounce back from this?
PMLB
John Schneider didn’t like Dave Roberts’ comments about Canadiens customs.
#Bluejays manager John Schneider has an eye roll for Dodgers manager’s gripes. "It’s easy to point fingers at us. There are travel days around the world." https://t.co/Y1tSJlS3Zl
The Boston Red Sox had a good 2025 season, which enabled them to make the playoffs. They fell to their eternal rivals, the New York Yankees, in three games.
A major contributor to the Bostonians’ collective success was third baseman Alex Bregman. He brought all his leadership and experience with him from Texas to Massachusetts, and frankly, the young Red Sox benefited greatly from it.
That said, Bregman has the option of opting out of his contract this winter, and he’s lining up to do so. His replacement would have big shoes to fill. Would Boston turn to outside help, or look internally? If the second option prevails, a good candidate would undeniably be Marcelo Mayer.
For the benefit of our readers, let’s remember that it was Marcelo Mayer who replaced Alex Bregman during the 43 games the latter missed between May and July. The player recalled from AAA level had done admirably well.
Defensively, being Bregman’s full-time successor wouldn’t be a problem for the 22-year-old. The problem lies in his performance at the plate and, above all, in his assiduity on the pitch.
Mayer struggles against left-handed pitchers, as evidenced by his .154 average (4 in 26) against them. His manager, Cora, avoided having his youngster face left-handed pitching because it was so painful.
Finally, Mayer seems unable to stay healthy. He never played more than 91 games in his four professional seasons. This season, wrist surgery kept him out of action, causing him to miss the final 58 games of the season.
The Trevor Story file
In addition to Alex Bregman, another Red Sox veteran could take advantage of his option to opt out of his contract. This is shortstop Trevor Story.
If Story were to leave, Mayer could naturally fill the void. If Red Sox management decides to look internally for a replacement, of course.
In short, Mayer has partial control over his destiny. However, he can control his on-field performance and force the hand of team management. In 2025, the likes of Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Kristian Campbell managed, at times, to make or stabilize their place in the Bas Rouges line-up. Will Marcelo Mayer be the next to take the plunge?
It will be interesting to follow the evolution of the Red Sox infield between now and the start of the 2026 season. Will it be a Bregman-Story tandem again, or could Mayer insert himself into the starting line-up? With perhaps a Bo Bichette at his side, who knows?
He won the award in 2025. It rewards a player’s community involvement.
Mookie Betts adds a Roberto Clemente Award to his Hall of Fame resume
The honor is given to one MLB player every year who represents baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field pic.twitter.com/avZnzSoTKM
Kevin Gausman said he wasn’t happy with his performance last night in Game 2. By Game Score, he actually pitched the 6th best game in the World Series in Blue Jays history. pic.twitter.com/nnTVKFMp0e
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on Albernaz: “It’s not often you get to work in this game with one of your best friends. The two years I got to spend with Craig will be two years I cherish more than any in my career. He’s going to crush it in Baltimore. I’m ecstatic for him .” https://t.co/6XXjOsjCsb
After enjoying arguably his best season ever in his first year as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Aroldis Chapman signed a one-year contract extension with the Massachusetts outfit in August.
And the big left-handed reliever has moved entirely to the other side of the spectrum of the sport’s greatest rivalry, that between the Low Reds and the New York Yankees. Chapman appeared on the “Swing Completo” podcast and got people talking with incendiary statements about his former team.
Aroldis Chapman would rather RETIRE than return to the Yankees 😳
When asked if he would ever consider returning to the Yankees, his answer was as direct as it gets.
Not a chance. Not even dead. If I was told I was being traded to New York, I’d pack my bags and go home. I’d retire on the spot if that happened. I’m not crazy. Never again.
Chapman went on to explain that his run-ins with the New York organization stemmed from the way he was treated during his final season.
I faced a lot of disrespect there. I put up with a lot. I knew they just wanted to find a way to get rid of me, but they didn’t know how. And I kept on playing and doing what I always do.
The 37-year-old is referring to the 2022 campaign, when he missed out on the team’s playoff run after learning he wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the fall lineup. His decision to stay home was viewed internally as a betrayal, and the organization wasted no time in divesting itself of his services, with good reason.
Admittedly, it was a bitter end for a player who had once been one of Major League Baseball’s most dominant relievers. But the player in question need only look in the mirror instead of crying in public, having finished his final campaign in the Bronx with an earned-run average of 4.46 in 36 and one-third innings of work.
Baseball in Canada is the talk of the town these days.
While the Blue Jays are in the World Series, the Expos are the talk of the town thanks to the nostalgia surrounding the documentary on the club’s final run in Montreal.
Le documentaire "Qui a tué les Expos de Montréal?" me ramène à mes racines profondes. https://t.co/ma0C7mXBZL
Obviously, with a title like “Who Killed the Montreal Expos?” for the documentary, it raises questions. Is there a real culprit to justify the sad end of the Expos?
In fact, we all agree that money didn’t help the Expos’ cause. With more money, the club could have had better players over the years.
But above all, towards the end, when the club was up for sale and no Québécois interest could/would buy the franchise, a little money would have prevented a move to Washington.
This is still true today, by the way: a little money would clearly help bring a ball club back home – but especially to Quebec.
Canada could get an MLB expansion franchise, commissioner Rob Manfred said.
The league is likely still several years away from adding teams, but multiple cities in Canada, including Montreal, could be under consideration.
On this subject, there’s an article by Martin Leclerc that’s well worth reading. On the Radio-Canada website, he reports that in 2000, Rogers founder Ted Rogers agreed to buy Videotron for four billion dollars.
If the sale didn’t go through, the shareholders of Videotron (then owned by the Chagnon family) agreed to pay Ted Rogers $241 million in compensation for breach of contract.
Finally, the Caisse de dépôt got its nose into the matter and, along with Québecor, bought Vidéotron. It cost about five billion dollars to get Vidéotron.
The result? The Chagnons paid Rogers $241 million.
The result? For $120 million, Rogers acquired 80% of Blue Jays shares. And for another $120 million, Rogers acquired 40% of the rights to Sportsnet, which broadcasts the Blue Jays.
In short, Quebec Inc. financed the Blue Jays and their broadcasting network for Rogers. I know Rogers could have bought the club without the money from the Chagnon family, but still.
We’re not just talking about having your cake and eating it too. It’s the whole farm, including the farmer, that was obtained by the English in return for… not much.
While no one could save the Expos (probably because the people who could afford it couldn’t see a way to make it profitable), Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Blue Jays were built thanks to Quebec. Great, huh?
The Los Angeles Dodgers went home with the World Series tied after an extraordinary performance by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in game two of the Fall Classic.
But it didn’t all work out.
If the Dodgers ran into issues today, it would presumably have been on the US customs side as they were re-entering the US today.
Either way, international travel is not a new part of Major League Baseball, which has had teams in Canada for the last 57 seasons. https://t.co/cbFpYFaMcq
Indeed, yesterday (Sunday), the Dodgers were scheduled to practice at 5pm at Dodger Stadium, which will host the Toronto Blue Jays for the next three games of the World Series. But manager Dave Roberts and his coaching staff were unable to arrive at the stadium on time, having lost several hours due to flight delays between Toronto’s Pearson Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
Much to the skipper‘s dismay.
I don’t want to get too far into this, I just arrived 30 minutes ago. So there have been a few delays. I don’t know if there was any intention or not. But we did it. We did it.
Roberts’ suggestion that his team might have faced an intentional delay on the part of the Canadiens got people talking, and could have added fuel to the fire of the ongoing series. So much so that the manager had to retract his statement.
I know the Prime Minister won’t call airline safety or the FAA to make sure they delay us. I know he won’t. Of course you do. Canada isn’t trying to sabotage the Dodgers. I know that. It was just a long day.
For the record, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney picked the Blue Jays to take top honors in six games. But it had nothing to do with the Dodgers’ problems leaving the country.
In fact, for the World Series games in Toronto, the Dodgers carried a group of about 400 people on four planes, and the players, traveling on their own plane, left Toronto after Saturday’s game and arrived in Los Angeles without incident. As for the manager, coaches and other staff, they didn’t leave until Sunday morning.
Great stuff from Roberts, who takes the pressure off himself to direct attention away from his players.
: 
