THE Los Angeles Dodgers are champions once again.
In one of the most thrilling Game 7s in recent memory, Los Angeles clawed back from multiple deficits before finally toppling the Toronto Blue Jays, 5–4, in 11 innings to secure their second straight World Series championship on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 (Sunday, PH time). The Dodgers trailed for most of the night before a late surge and a pair of clutch home runs turned the tide.
Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas sparked the comeback with a solo blast in the top of the ninth, tying the game at 4–4 and silencing the Rogers Centre crowd. Then, in the top of the 11th, Will Smith delivered the decisive blow, launching a 366-foot solo shot off Shane Bieber’s slider into the left-field stands to give Los Angeles its first lead of the game.
“I was fired up,” Smith said afterward. “We knew we needed to get a run there. To be able to come through in that spot was huge.”
The Dodgers’ bullpen held strong through the tense final frames, capped by a heroic performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who recorded the final three outs under immense pressure. Toronto nearly spoiled the celebration, though — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the bottom of the 11th with a sharp double down the left-field line.
After Isiah Kiner-Falefa advanced him to third with a textbook sacrifice bunt, the Blue Jays appeared poised for a storybook finish of their own.
But Yamamoto refused to wilt. After issuing a walk to Addison Barger, putting runners at the corners with one out, the Japanese ace induced Alejandro Kirk to roll into a game-ending double play , sealing the Dodgers’ championship and sending the Los Angeles dugout into jubilation.
With the victory, Los Angeles becomes the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles since the New York Yankees’ three-peat from 1998 to 2000.
For manager Dave Roberts, it’s another crowning moment in what’s quickly becoming a historic tenure.
“This group never stops believing,” Roberts said postgame. “They’ve been through everything — injuries, adversity, tough losses — and still find a way to rise to the occasion. That’s what champions do.” / RSC