All bets are off.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who are 9-1 in 10 games since the start of the series, will represent the Nationals in the World Series. They swept the Reds, beat the Phillies in four, and came out swinging again, this time against the Brewers.
As for the Toronto Blue Jays, they will represent the American in an outcome that is more surprising than the Dodgers’ presence at the Fall Dance. In a more open American, the Blue Jays nevertheless beat the Yankees in four and the Mariners in seven.
And now, we’re down to analyzing the forces at play ahead of the 2025 World Series, which starts on Friday. For those who want to listen in French, TVA Sports is the place to be this year.
Pitchers
Among the starting pitchers, there’s no debate: the Dodgers have the edge. Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (pitching Friday and Saturday) were sparkling against Milwaukee, making Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani bottom of the rotation guys.
And that, whether you factor in Ohtani’s bat power or not, is a luxury no other club can afford.
The Blue Jays don’t have an ugly rotation, but it’s not the same thing. Kevin Gausman is excellent and so is Trey Yesavage. The latter is just starting to pitch in the Majors, though.
Shane Bieber is good, but he doesn’t have the velocity to get a nasty one in the arm against the Dodgers. And Max Scherzer comes with his ups and downs, as we know. That said, nobody wants to win as much as he does.
Both clubs will be able to count on relief starters. Chris Bassitt and Eric Lauer will be in the bullpen for the Toronto club, as will Clayton Kershaw and Roki Sasaki for the Californians.
It’s a good thing the Dodgers are counting on Sasaki to stabilize their bullpen, by the way. Because Dodgers relief, like that of the Blue Jays, is the club’s weak point.
During the 2025 series, the Blue Jays have the 10th-worst earned run average (out of 12) in the bullpen at 5.52. The Dodgers are ninth at 4.88, which isn’t necessarily better.
Jeff Hoffman, Louis Varland and Seranthony Dominguez are the names to watch in Toronto. For the Dodgers, Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen, along with Roki Sasaki, are the trusted arms.
Position players
The Blue Jays don’t have an ugly forward, quite the contrary. Some people seem to underestimate it because the club doesn’t have a Hall of Fame lineup like the Dodgers.
But the consensus is that right now, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the most dangerous hitter on the planet. And he’s guiding a group of hitters who are dominant, deep and can break it all.
The Blue Jays, who clearly have the better defense between the two teams, also have George Springer who is capable of getting up in the playoffs. By the way, expect to see him copiously booed in Los Angeles. #AstrosScandal
Ernie Clement is also having an extraordinary series and Nathan Lukes is really important. Daulton Varsho and Addison Barger are driving the middle of the lineup and Alejandro Kirk is going to have the platform to have a big World Series.
Andres Gimenez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, meanwhile, will have to hold down the fort defensively.
The question is also what will happen with Bo Bichette. The player says he’s ready to come back, but finding a role for him won’t be too easy either.
What works in the Toronto club’s favor is their patience with the bat and their ability not to get too many strikeouts. If this group gets the Dodgers’ starters pitching, it can quickly get to the relievers.
Will it happen? We’ll see.
For the Dodgers, the question will be whether Shohei Ohtani can build on his magnificent performance in Game #4 against Milwaukee. And if he does (which is not his playoff habit)… watch out.
Mookie Betts (who’ll be going for his fourth career ring) and Freddie Freeman have proven in the past that they can produce to help their teams win. Remember that, everyone?
Teoscar Hernandez has four home runs in 10 games during the 2025 series and will no doubt want to beat his former club. Kiké Hernandez can turn into Mr. October on command. Tommy Edman has the recipe for playoff production. Will Smith and Max Muncy have experience.
And watch Justin Dean at the end of the game. He’s not there to hit, but he knows how to patrol the outfield like a master.
The managers
Dave Roberts has plenty of playoff experience. And while he was once known as a manager who made mistakes in the playoffs, things have been going pretty well for him over the past two years.
He’ll be going for a third ring.
You’ve got to give him the edge over John Schneider, who’s no slouch in 2025 and a lot less experienced. But even so, his choice of reliever in Game #5 against Seattle was the talk of the town.
Both have to deal with a bullpen that isn’t the best in town.
The imponderables
Obviously, Shohei Ohtani and the airplane story will be the talk of the town. But once the joke is over and the series begins, the Japanese’s goal will be to beat the club that courted him two years ago.
Ohtani will have to start that on the road, in a noisy Rogers Centre. How will he react? After all, once you’re on the field, anything can happen… even if you’re the bookies’ favorite.
We know that the vast majority of Canada will support the Blue Jays… and we know that many Americans hate the Dodgers. Will they rally to the Blue Jays’ cause, out of necessity?
Possibly.
Finally, we shouldn’t worry too much about the fact that the Blue Jays have played three more games in the championship series, because the few days off will allow some of the guys to get some rest.
And even if, historically, a club that has played seven games in the championship series faces one that has played only four games, it has a pretty good chance of winning the series. All four times this has happened, the club that swept its championship series escaped the World Series.
This content was created with the help of AI.
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