Blue Jays lose 6-5 to Dodgers in marathon World Series Game 3

Game 3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles was both a thriller and an ultra-marathon which matched a World Series record for the longest game and ultimately ended in heartbreak for the Toronto Blue Jays when Dodger Freddy Freeman hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th.

The best-of-seven series was tied at 1-1 before the first pitch Monday, and the Blue Jays had never lost Game 3 of the Fall Classic, winning both in 1992 and 1993.

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“Mad Max” Scherzer became the first player to pitch for four different teams in the World Series when he took the mound for the Jays in Game 3. He started the game with 3.18 ERA in the postseason, with five strikeouts in one appearance.

Dodgers’ right-hander Tyler Glasnow was given the nod and began the night with a miserly postseason ERA of 0.68 through just over 13 innings pitched across two starts and three appearances, with 18 strikeouts.

Jays lead-off hitter and DH George Springer was greeted by a booing L.A crowd, who have a collective long memory. The hatred goes back to 2017, when Springer was part of the Houston Astros team who beat the Dodgers in the World Series and were subsequently found to have used an illegal sign stealing system.

Springer was knocked out of the game after fouling off the first pitch of his sixth inning at-bat, twisting awkwardly, calling for the trainer and then walked back to the dugout holding his right side. He was replaced by Ty France.

Dodgers draw first blood

Former Blue Jay Teoscar Hernandez drew first blood for the Dodgers in the second inning with a home run, before Shohei Ohtani hit another in the third.

A three-run homer from Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk then gave Toronto a 3-2 lead in the fourth before a Andres Gimenez sac fly made the score 4-2.

Scherzer came out of the game when the 2-for-2 Ohtani came to the plate in the fifth, and notably gave Blue Jays manager John Schneider no argument.

Rookie Mason Fluharty, who has been very effective this season against left-handed hitters like Ohtani, then took the mound.

Ohtani had his number this time, though, hitting a double to score Kike Hernandez. Freeman then knocked Fluharty out of the game with a hit that allowed Ohtani to cross home plate and tie the game. He was replaced by Louis Varland in his 12th postseason outing.

The Dodgers also replaced their starting pitcher in the fifth, with Justin Wrobleski coming into the game.

Toronto Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk watches his three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning in Game 3 of baseball’s World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

In the seventh, an RBI single from Bo Bichette saw Vladimir Guerrero Jr. score from first, once again giving Toronto the lead 5-4. Bichette was then replaced at first by pinch-runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Ohtani hit the first pitch from Jays reliever Seranthony Dominguez in the bottom of the seventh for a game-tying home run, bringing the score to 5-5, his second of the game.

In the eighth, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to reliever righty Roki Sasaki and the Jays put in starter Chris Bassitt, who pitched a one, two, three inning.

Sasaski came back out for the ninth and the Jays had their first chance after Kiner-Falefa walked, but he was then was thrown out running first to third. Sasaki then walked Kirk to give the Jays another go-ahead run on base but that also came to nothing.

L.A. also had a chance in the ninth as Jeff Hoffman took the mound for the Jays. Facing Andy Pages, Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Pages popped out and the Jays chose to intentionally walked Ohtani, who was then tagged out by Kiner-Falefa stealing second.

Game goes to extra innings

In the top of the 10th, the Jays had another chance after Ty France hit one from new Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan. France was replaced by pinch runner Davis Schneider, who was then out at home plate after a double from Nathan Lukes. Hoffman came out again for the Jays in the tenth.

Sheehan was back in for the 11th and after he retired the Jays batters in order, and the Jays put in Braydon Fisher. Fisher retired L.A.’s first two batters, then Toronto issued another intentional walk to Ohtani.

Betts followed with a ground ball single, moving Ohtani to second, but then the third out meant it was on to the 12th, with Sheehan again on the mound for the Dodgers to face Kirk, Myles Straw and Ernie Clement.

After Kirk earned a walk, he was replaced by pinch runner Tyler Heineman, the last position player available for the Blue Jays, with Springer, Bichette and Addison Barger out of the game.

The Jays had a chance again after a hit from Ernie Clement put Heineman on second base. Andres Gimenez was then intentionally walked to bring Schneider to the plate, who then advanced Heineman to third.

That knocked Sheehan out of the game, with the Dodgers bringing in lefty starter Clayton Kershaw to deal with the bases-loaded situation with Nathan Lukes at the plate, who then grounded out.

Fisher came back in for the bottom the 12th and left after striking out Will Smith, with lefty Eric Lauer taking things to the 13th, with Edgardo Henriquez coming out of the bullpen for the for the Dodgers and retiring the Toronto batters.

Tommy Edman hit a double off Lauer to put the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the 13th, and Ohtani was again intentionally walked with two outs, followed by another intentional walk to Mookie Betts, but L.A. was again thwarted and it was on to the 14th.

Henriquez dealt with the Jays, giving the Dodgers a sixth opportunity for a walk-off win, again facing Lauer in the bottom of the 14th but it was not to be.

L.A. brought in the last remaining reliever — Will Klein — in the 15th, and when the Jays came up empty-handed, with Lauer still pitching for the Jays. Ohtani was intentionally walked again — his fourth time in the game.

Klein inevitably came back out for the 16th inning and recorded a quick three outs with the Jays relying on Lauer’s starter experience to keep the Dodgers at bay at the bottom of the inning and take things into the 17th.

Klein then delivered another one, two, three inning to take things to the bottom of the 17th, with Brendon Little replacing Lauer on the mound for the Jays. Little pitched to Ohtani and walked him anyway, putting him on base for the ninth time but again the Dodgers left men on base.

It was Klein yet again in 18th inning, before little took the mound again, finally giving up the winning home run to Freeman.

Right-handed pitcher Shane Bieber will start for the Jays in Game 4 on Tuesday, with Ohtani scheduled to start for the Dodgers. Game 5 is also in L.A.