What an amazing World Series!
The 2025 Fall Classic was as exciting as any series in Major League Baseball history. It had a bit of everything. Both teams left everything on the field, including blood, sweat and tears. It’s a shame someone had to lose.
It was arguably one of the best World Series ever. By comparison, the 1960 Series when Bill Mazeroski homered for the Pirates to walk-off the Yankees was a great one. The 1991 World Series featured two teams going from worst to first and went seven games, with the Twins winning 1-0 in Game 7 when ace pitcher Jack Morris threw 10 innings to beat the Braves and John Smoltz. In 2001, the Diamondbacks ended the Yankees’ title streak at three with a walk-off win in Game 7. The Marlins walked-off Cleveland in Game 7 of the 1997 Series, when Edgar Renteria laced a single to centre field.
In order to be the best series ever I think there had to be a walk-off win in Game 7. This year’s Series didn’t give us that, but we did get a full seven games, with an 18-inning Game 3 and wildly entertaining Games 6 and 7, with the decider going into extras.
The Dodgers and Blue Jays provided jaw-dropping, exhilarating moments. There were big hits, tremendous defensive plays, controversy, a bench-clearing incident and amazing individual performances throughout.
George Springer’s extraordinary effort to take the field after an oblique injury in Game 3 was truly inspirational. I have seen players who left games with that type of injury and missed six to eight weeks. I watched video before the series of Bo Bichette trying to run on his bum knee and didn’t think for a second he could play. Not only did he play, he was solid both offensively and defensively.
Because both teams exhausted themselves and gave everything, it means that losing hurts more than ever. The Blue Jays came up on the short end, snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory, but Jays fans should be very proud of their team. They did all they could to win. They hustled, played hurt and overcame adversity time and again all season long.
It took a historic performance by World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto to beat them. He won three of the four games for the Dodgers, all of them on the road. He won Game 2 with a complete game, retiring the last 20 batters he faced. His assortment of pitches was nearly impossible to hit. He also won Game 6 by pitching six innings of one-run ball. Then amazingly, the next day he came in relief in Game 7 and shut down the Jays over the final 2.2 innings for the win. He got out of a jam in the 11th inning to hold onto the lead to ensure back-to-back World Series Championships for the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays captured the hearts of most baseball fans. In a very unscientific study, it seemed that most fans outside of Los Angeles were rooting for the Jays. The hard-nosed gritty approach Toronto had won people over. They have stars but not as many as the Dodgers. The Jays got as far as they did because of the team. Everyone contributed.
It will take some time to lick their wounds and heal from the devastation of losing the Series. At some point, the players, coaching staff and front office will be able to connect to the joy of their successes, even if they came up a bit short. But soon, the reality will set in, that the boulder that they rolled to the top of the mountain is all the way back at the bottom and they have to start all over again for 2026.
Valuable lessons learned
The good news is that they know what it takes to play the last game of the season. They will have to try and do it again in 2026. It won’t be easy. It will not unfold like it did in 2025. Each season is different. The players on the team will be different. The competition will be different. Circumstances will change. There will be health challenges. Some players will play better, but some will be worse.
The front office has to do a thorough evaluation of this team. The Jays got career years from Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Ernie Clement, and Daulton Varsho. They got much better than expected performances from rookie outfielder Nathan Lukes, a 10-year minor league veteran, and infielder/outfielder Addison Barger. Trey Yesavage looks like he could be a front-end-of-the-rotation starter for years to come.
But, just because they made it to the World Series doesn’t mean that everything was peaches and cream. They will have to find ways to upgrade the bullpen. It was a weakness and it showed in the playoffs. They are losing Seranthony Dominguez to free agency and they will likely seek a high-leverage reliever who throws more strikes. They will have to address a starting rotation losing Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and likely Shane Bieber ($16 million player option) to free agency. That is a lot innings that will need to be replaced. Will Jose Berrios be healthy next season?
Role players Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ty France, both acquired at the deadline, will head to free agency as well. There may be a place for IKF as the dust settles before next season but that remains to be seen.
The big question for the Blue Jays is whether they can re-sign pending free agent Bo Bichette. He was leading the league in hits before he injured his knee on a slide at home plate on Sept. 6. He sat out almost six weeks before limping his way back in the World Series. He certainly wasn’t himself but he did show that he is a pure hitter who can still produce even on one leg. He is a gamer. He is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s best friend on the team and he wants to stay in Toronto. That is all helpful to know in a negotiation. But Bichette will likely sign with the team that offers him the most money. No one should expect a hometown discount.
The demand for Bichette will be significant. Any team needing a shortstop, third baseman or second baseman will be in on the Jays slugger. His move to second base in the Series may have softened his reluctance to move off of shortstop.
The good news for the Jays is that they are set up to pivot in multiple directions. They could re-sign Bichette and play him at second, shortstop or third base. If they lose him to another club they could sign or trade for an infielder at any of those spots and move Ernie Clement or Andres Gimenez around.
There will be time to gameplan the Jays’ off-season. We should all bask in the joy and excitement they brought us in their valiant effort to get all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. They won’t be the favorites next year, but they will once again be competitive and maybe earn another chance to shock the world.
