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The Toronto Blue Jays faced heartbreak at home losing the World Series.
The L.A. Dodgers beat the Jays 5-4 in heartbreaking extra innings in the winner-takes-all Game 7 on Saturday night at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
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It was a slow start for the Jays with some mistakes, but by the third inning thanks to a big hit by Bo Bichette, who was nursing a knee injury, the team were up 3-0.
The Dodgers were able to get on the scoreboard thanks to Will Smith, but L.A. posed no further threat as the inning came to an end.
Tensions ran high
Tensions were clearly nearing boiling point in the fourth inning. Jays shortstop Andrés Giménez was almost hit twice by the pitch. When pitcher Justin Wrobleski walked toward Giménez , it had the Jays players off the bench leading the ump to give warnings to both teams.
Neither team produced any runs in the fifth but the Dodgers clawed back in the sixth to make it 3-2.
Thanks to a Giménez RBI in the right field, Ernie Clement, who was on second, made it home, increasing the Jays lead to 4-2.
In the seventh, with Trey Yesavage on the mound, he kept the Dodgers at bay but in the eighth, Max Muncy silenced Rogers Centre with a run to make it 4-3 for the Dodgers.
It was a history making turn for Clement, who lead off with a double. He now holds the record for the most hits in a post-season.
But the celebrations were short-lived when Miguel Rojas hit a single home run to tie the game at the top of the ninth, 4-4.
In the second inning, Bichette’s knee injury prevented him from scoring from second on a single. John Schneider didn’t take that chance in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-running with Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
It wasn’t to be for the rest of the inning, with all hopes for the Jays dashed.
Daulton Varsho hit a ground ball to second and Rojas throw home to retire Kiner-Falefa.
Clement’s big swing was caught by outfielder Andy Pages to send Game 7 to extra innings.
Extra innings
Neither team made the board at the top of the tenth, and the game went into the eleventh inning.
It was the top of the eleventh that broke Jays hearts when Smith hit a single home run to push the Dodgers a 5-4 lead.
But the Jays weren’t out yet when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stepped up to the mound hitting enough to get him to second. A light hint from Kiner-Falefa sent Guerrero to third.
But it was not meant to be for the Jays after waiting 32 years to return to the World Series and the Dodgers with back-to-back titles.
Max Scherzer started on the mound for Toronto, becoming only the fourth pitcher to start multiple winner-take-all Game 7s.
The 41-year-old right-hander and three time Cy Young Award winner, “Mad Max” allowed three runs and five hits over 4 1/3 innings in Game 3 on Monday, which the Dodgers won in 18 innings.
Jays manager John Schneider said before the game his entire pitching staff was available, even Kevin Gausman, who threw 93 pitches in Game 6.
Toronto made a single batting lineup change from Friday night, with Addison Barger and Dalton Varsho swapping places in the order.
Two-way Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani started for the Dodgers, taking advantage of a rule adopted for the 2022 season which says pitchers who start games in the batting order can remain in the game as a designated hitter after leaving the mound.
If Ohtani had started the game only as a DH and not on the mound, the Dodgers would lose their DH and pitchers would have to bat in that slot if Ohtani was relieved.
Ohtani is batting .318 in the World Series with three homers, five RBIs and eight walks. He is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA, after striking out six and walking one in his Game 4 start as he threw 93 pitches.
L.A. moved Max Muncy up to hit fifth, and placed Tommy Edman to hit in the seventh spot.
Los Angeles pitcher Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning in Game 4 of baseball’s World Series, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
— with files from Associated Press
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