It’s official: the 2025 World Collection is ready. After sprinting by the NL playoffs with just one loss, the Los Angeles Dodgers are again and have been ready for the AL to determine its challenger. The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners went seven video games, with the Blue Jays incomes a comeback win to get to their first Fall Basic in three a long time.
How the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired to the World Collection
The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired again to the World Collection as a result of they’ve one of the best roster in baseball. They’re completely star-studded up and down the roster with guys like Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Blake Snell. No different crew in baseball may rival LA’s star energy this 12 months, and that’s why they’ve made good on their standing as preseason favorites to date.
They didn’t even end with a top-three report within the NL, however their wholesome expertise was greater than sufficient to assist them run by the playoffs with little or no problem. They swept each the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers, and solely misplaced as soon as in opposition to the Philadelphia Phillies. They’re poised to repeat as champions for the primary time for the reason that New York Yankees gained three straight in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
It seems, spending an unfathomable sum of money on a roster is an effective method to make sure success. The Dodgers have turn into the premier spenders in baseball, and it’s labored. They went all-out in 2024, signing Ohtani, Glasnow, Hernandez, and others en path to a title. Then, they continued their insane spending spree in 2025 by including Roki Sasaki, Snell, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates. Including all that complementary expertise to the unbelievable core they already had was a sensible thought, and it’s paid off richly to this point.
Well being has been an enormous issue for the Dodgers, although. They struggled to search out wholesome arms within the 2024 postseason and in 2025 throughout the common season. Getting gamers like Snell, Sasaki, Clayton Kershaw, and Glasnow again wholesome to pitch within the postseason has been essential, and it’ll be an enormous purpose for no matter success they’ve within the closing spherical.
How the Blue Jays acquired to the World Collection
The Blue Jays took a special path to the World Collection. They’re not wildly star-studded, they usually’ve even gained each playoff collection with out considered one of their finest gamers in Bo Bichette. They signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to an enormous extension and instantly noticed the rewards with a division title, AL pennant, and Guerrero Jr.’s ALCS MVP award.
They acquired a profession 12 months (following a career-worst season, mockingly) from George Springer, however the Jays simply aren’t dripping with expertise. They’re well-rounded and well-coached, which is how they acquired the World Collection.
They’re unbelievably pesky. They take good, lengthy at-bats that frustrate pitchers, they usually usually win these battles. They’re by no means out of a recreation, both, as they’ve 49 comeback wins in 2025, most within the league. That was by no means extra evident than in Recreation 7.
Dealing with a two-run deficit, the Blue Jays acquired two on earlier than bunting them over to second and third for Springer. Bunting is rarely a good suggestion (the Seattle Mariners actually did the identical precise factor earlier and failed to attain in any respect), however Springer made good on the defective resolution by blasting a three-run house run to place the Jays up by one, and reliever Jeff Hoffman struck out the facet within the ninth to shut it out.
They face a serious expertise deficit within the World Collection, however that’s arguably been the case the complete method. They didn’t have Aaron Decide and Jazz Chisholm Jr. just like the New York Yankees did, however they nonetheless dispatched them in 4 video games. They didn’t have Eugenio Suarez, Cal Raleigh, or Julio Rodriguez just like the Mariners, however they nonetheless outlasted them. The Dodgers could be silly to underestimate them.
