It was a night filled with promise, tradition and record-breaking drama at Rogers Centre and the Blue Jays announced their return to baseball’s big stage in emphatic fashion, toppling the Dodgers 11–4 in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series.
The Dodgers jumped ahead early. Rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage, who had been dominant in the ALCS, arrived with hype, but unlike his previous appearances, things didn’t click. He surrendered an RBI single to Kike Hernández in the second inning and then allowed a Will Smith RBI single in the third, putting Los Angeles in front 2-0. Yesavage would exit after four innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out five.
Toronto answered in the fourth. With two outs, Daulton Varsho launched a two-run homer to center, leveling the game at 2–2 and announcing the Jays’ intent.
The turning point came in the sixth inning, a moment fans had been waiting decades for. The Blue Jays erupted for nine runs, he biggest inning of the night and arguably the most lopsided frame in recent Fall Classic history. It began with Bo Bichette walking, followed by a single from Alejandro Kirk and a hit-by-pitch to Varsho that loaded the bases. Ernie Clement followed with an RBI single, Nathan Lukes added a run on a bases-loaded walk, and Andrés Giménez made it 5–2 with another RBI single. Then came the moment for the history books: pinch-hitter Addison Barger crushed a grand slam off Anthony Banda; the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. Kirk capped the inning with a two-run homer of his own. Suddenly, it was 11–2.
The Dodgers showed flashes of fight. In the top of the seventh, superstar Shohei Ohtani pulled a two-run homer, his fourth of the postseason, to make it 11–4, but by then the outcome had long been decided.
Blake Snell, pegged as a Game 1 ace, never found his stride. He was pulled early in the sixth after surrendering eight hits and five runs, as Toronto’s offense hammered the usually-strong Dodgers pitching staff.
It wasn’t just one swing or one inning that did the damage. Iit was the perfect storm of timing, execution and momentum for Toronto. They finished with 14 hits, including three from Kirk. The eruption in that sixth inning sent a statement: the Blue Jays are back in the World Series and they’re playing with swagger.
From a narrative standpoint, this win carries hefty weight. It’s the franchise’s first World Series game in 32 years, and in toppling the defending champs, Toronto flipped the script. Game 1 wins in seven-game series have historically given teams the upper hand in more than two-thirds of instances.
For the Dodgers, this is a moment of reflection. A team built on dominance looked rattled. They still have their talent, their history and their ring pedigree, but after tonight, the noise and pressure have shifted. The Blue Jays didn’t just win a game; they woke up the underdog story and showed the baseball world they came to compete.
Next up: Game 2, once again at Rogers Centre, and the Blue Jays carry not just the lead but the momentum. For the Dodgers, it’s time to regroup because now the road to a repeat runs through the heart of Toronto.