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It goes without saying that the World Series is a spectacle. When you’ve got the two top teams in baseball playing for all of the marbles, the on-field action is going to take top billing; that’s especially true when the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history takes place in Game 1. But that’s not the only feast for the senses. Between star-studded pregame presentations, countless stats and postgame shows with their own running jokes, there’s almost too much to try and take in. Some things will inevitably slip through the cracks. With that in mind, here are five notable quotes from before and after Game 1 of the 2025 Fall Classic. They probably won’t make it into a TV highlight package, but they do provide a fuller perspective that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays are thinking about the big and small points of baseball. Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks to the dugout after striking out during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game one of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on October 24 in Toronto. Daulton Varsho’s Hitting Approach The Toronto center fielder hit a game-tying home run on Friday night, although that blast was later overshadowed by Addison Barger. After the game, he shared his hitting approach, which provides an interesting counterpoint to modern baseball’s obsession with launch angle, exit velocity and home runs. Sports, after all, is both an art and a science. For me, I’m trying to hit a ground ball back to the pitcher. That’s been my goal all season. I know it’s not like what everybody says about launch angle. So, I literally try to hit a ground ball right back to the pitcher and it works for me. [Varsho was then asked why he does that.] It’s really easy for me to hit the ball in the air. I’ve known that my whole life. So, for me, I have to really exaggerate going down to the baseball and it works out for me because I am able to keep my bat in the zone a long period of time when I do that. John Schneider Is Just Being Himself One of the classic clichés that we’re all told is that we should just be ourselves. According to the Blue Jays manager, though, he’s being pretty authentic this season. Is that the reason why Toronto has been so successful? Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but it is interesting to hear a professional manager, working on the game’s biggest stage, being candid about the humanity behind his job. As Schneider said ahead of Game 1: This is going to sound funny. I think I’m closer to Schneids in the minor leagues right now than I’ve ever been. This job is hard. This job takes reps, it takes messing up, it takes having success to get to where you are. I went into this year kind of just saying to myself, I’m going to be the authentic version of myself, and I’m going to let it rip. I think one of my biggest strengths is communicating with players and staff. When you start this job you’re trying to please everybody, right. I mean, I always say that everyone’s answering to someone, unless you’re Edward Rogers. So you’re trying to appease a lot of people. And I think I got caught up in that a little bit. So right now I feel like Schneids, the dude that grew up with these guys riding the buses and just kind of being one of them. At the same time, understanding that there’s a certain expectation that I bring to the field every day from these guys. They get it. But I feel like I’ve evolved a ton in just three years on this job. Why Are the Dodgers a Desirable Destination? Every time free agency rolls around, there’s a discussion about how and why players pick their new employers. How much does money matter? Do off-field amenities really make a difference? While every situation is different, Los Angeles Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, did provide some perspective before the World Series began. I think there’s a lot that goes into it. I think being known as a really good player development organization. Players ask those questions. When we’re meeting with players in the offseason, they want to know that you can help maximize their ability, and that you’re getting the most out of their teammates. Because when you can do that and do it well, you tend to win more games. I think guys’ desire to win, you know, that’s a really important factor. I think how you treat families. It’s a challenging life with the amount of travel and usually being away from your home city, and it’s a challenge for the families. So doing everything we can on our end to make that as comfortable as they possibly can so when a guy’s a free agent and is thinking about leaving, we like the wife to also say, Actually, we should stay, it’s so much easier. So I th...
