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After Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jeff Hoffman got Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez to chase a wicked 3-2 slider outside of the strike zone to close out a 4-3 win in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night, a traditional baseball scene that fans see every season graced their television screens. Canada's team poured out of the dugout, players fell to their knees and wiped their tears and a dogpile ensued near the pitcher's mound, celebrating a hard-fought series victory and a trip to their collective and ultimate goal – a trip to the World Series. Days ago, when the Los Angeles Dodgers completed their sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers to clinch a berth to the World Series for the second-straight year, the postgame scene looked just one notch above a home win in July. Most walk-off home runs earn more child-like giddiness than the Dodgers' gave to a measly National League pennant. Adult beverages and loud music were still had in the clubhouse, sure, but on the field, the Dodgers' win was business as usual. It was expected. LA acted like it'd been there before. Because it had. As for the Blue Jays, 2025 will mark their first return trip to the World Series since 1993, when they finished off a back-to-back World Series title off of the bat of Joe Carter's Game 6 walk-off homer against the Philadelphia Phillies. Last season, they finished in last place in the AL East. The Dodgers will be favored to repeat themselves as World Series champions as they prepare to face off against the Toronto Blue Jays beginning on Friday, but make no mistake – this is no David vs. Goliath situation. How they got here The Blue Jays have home-field advantage for the best-of-seven World Series, and they earned it. Toronto finished the regular season with a 94-68 record, granting them a one-game advantage over LA and thus homefield. Games 1 and 2, as well as 6 and 7 if necessary, will be in Toronto as a result. The squad rebounded after a rough 16-20 start to the season and was the second-best team in MLB the rest of the way, with only the Milwaukee Brewers posting a better record since May 8. They're led with a deep roster and a more-than-solid pitching staff headlined by Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and future-Hall-of-Famer Max Scherzer. Their explosive offense, as seen by George Springer's go-ahead 7th inning home run in Monday's Game 7, can beat teams in a multitude of ways. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been the best player in the MLB Postseason to this point. With 6 home runs and a batting average of .442, the Dominican superstar is going to be the greatest challenge for the Dodgers' pitching. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have breezed through the playoffs with a 9-1 record. After a sweep against the Brewers, they'll come in rested with a lengthy layoff between series. The single-biggest thing that makes the Dodgers so tough to beat is that anyone on the roster can be a hero on a given night – if the best player in the sport, Shohei Ohtani, has an off night, Mookie Betts can pick up the slack. Same for last year's World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, or Teoscar Hernandez, or playoff legend Kike Hernandez, and so on. The sheer depth of the lineup is something baseball hasn't quite seen before, and that alone will make things tough for the Blue Jays. Schedule Games 1 and 2 Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25, 5 p.m. at the Rogers Centre in Toronto Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) Monday, Oct. 27, Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Wednesday, Oct. 29, 5 p.m. at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Games 6 and 7 (if necessary)
