TORONTO — In a thrilling showdown, Will Smith delivered a home run in the 11th inning, following Miguel Rojas’s game-tying shot in the ninth, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 on Saturday night. This triumph marked the Dodgers as the first team in 25 years to clinch back-to-back World Series titles.
The Dodgers demonstrated resilience by overcoming deficits of 3-0 and 4-2, and skillfully maneuvered out of a bases-loaded predicament in the ninth inning. This win made them the first team since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees to secure consecutive championships and the first from the National League to do so since the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976.
Smith’s decisive play came off a 2-0 slider from Shane Bieber, sending the ball into the Blue Jays’ bullpen and securing the Dodgers’ initial lead of the night.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw 96 pitches to contribute to the Dodgers’ victory on Friday, heroically escaped a bases-loaded situation in the ninth and pitched 2 2/3 innings, earning his third win of the Series.
In the 11th inning, Yamamoto allowed a leadoff double to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was then advanced to third base. Addison Barger received a walk, and Alejandro Kirk grounded to shortstop Mookie Betts, who executed a championship-winning 6-4-3 double play.
The Dodgers’ triumph not only secured their ninth title but also their third in six years, bolstering their status as a potential dynasty in the 2020s. With Dave Roberts at the helm since 2016, his leadership further strengthens his candidacy for the Hall of Fame.
Bo Bichette put Toronto ahead in the third with a three-run homer off two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who was pitching on three days’ rest after taking the loss in Game 3.
Los Angeles closed to 3-2 on sacrifice flies from Teoscar Hernández in the fourth off Max Scherzer and Tommy Edman in the sixth against Chris Bassitt.
Andrés Giménez restored Toronto’s two-run lead with an RBI double in the sixth off Tyler Glasnow, who relieved after getting the final three outs on three pitches to save Game 6 on Friday.
Max Muncy’s eighth-inning homer off star rookie Trey Yesavage cut the Dodgers’ deficit to one run, and Rojas, inserted into the lineup in Game 6 to provide some energy, homered on a full-count slider from Jeff Hoffman.
Toronto put two on with one out in the bottom half against Blake Snell, and Los Angeles turned to Yamamoto.
He hit Alejandro Kirk on a hand with a pitch, loading the bases and prompting the Dodgers to play the infield in and the outfield shallow. Daulton Varsho grounded to second, where Rojas stumbled but managed to throw home for a forceout as catcher Smith kept his foot on the plate.
Ernie Clement then flied out to Andy Pages, who made a jumping, backhand catch on the center-field warning track as he crashed into left fielder Kiké Hernández.
Seranthony Domínguez walked Mookie Betts with one out in the 10th and Muncy singled for his third hit. Hernández walked, loading the bases. Pages grounded to shortstop, where Giménez threw home for a forceout. First baseman Guerrero then threw to pitcher Seranthony Domínguez covering first, just beating Hernández in a call upheld in a video review.
The epic night matched the Marlins’ 3-2 win over Cleveland in 1997 as the second-longest Series Game 7, behind only the Washington Senators’ 4-3 victory against the New York Giants in 1924.
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