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TORONTO — The weight is over.
They carried it every day from February all the way into November. They were supposed to do this. They were supposed to win. They were supposed to be the first team to repeat as champions since the New York Yankees in 1998-2000. They were supposed to live up to the hyperbolic evaluations that pegged theirs as the most talented roster in baseball history.
It took a game-tying home run in the ninth inning (the first in World Series history) by Miguel Rojas, a game-winning home run by Will Smith in the 11th and 2⅔ innings of relief from Game 6 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Bulldog Mode fully engaged) to make all that come true with a 5-4 victory in Game 7 of the World Series.
“You dream of those moments, you know, extra innings, put your team ahead – I’ll remember that forever,” Smith said.
It was a memorable World Series featuring two extra-inning games, shocking momentum shifts and game-saving defensive plays. But the Dodgers didn’t always look like the better team in the matchup. The Blue Jays played better defense overall, took better at-bats consistently and were better in the clutch over the seven games – except when it mattered most.
The Dodgers absorbed all that – just as they absorbed the injuries and inconsistencies of a long season to get here – and emerged as champions.
Like almost everything about this season, it didn’t go as planned. The Dodgers even found the limits of what Shohei Ohtani can do.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the decision to start Ohtani on short rest in Game 7 – a part of the Dodgers’ pre-Series discussions – was finalized after Game 6 on Friday night after a short conversation with Ohtani.
“Shohei, we don’t have long conversations,” Roberts said with a smile before Game 7.
It was only the second time in his career Ohtani had started on short rest. He followed a two-inning, rain-shortened start with seven scoreless innings three days later in April 2023 for the Angels.
The circumstances were far different Saturday night and Ohtani seemed off from the start.
He struggled with his command. Only half of his first 30 pitches were strikes. The Blue Jays put the first batter on base in each of the first three innings, putting stress on Ohtani.
He escaped the first two but gave up a three-run home run to Bo Bichette in the third inning.
Whatever master pitching plan the Dodgers had come up with to cover nine innings, it did not include Ohtani giving up a 110.1 mph laser that traveled 442 feet to straightaway center field for a three-run home run that put their stagnant offense in the trail position.
The Dodgers did answer back with a run in the fourth inning against Jays starter Max Scherzer but stranded two runners after back-to-back outstanding defensive plays by the Blue Jays – diving catches by Daulton Varsho in center field and Guerrero down the first base line.
Both benches – and bullpens – emptied in the fourth inning after Justin Wrobleski hit Gimenez with a pitch, adding some menace to the drama.
The Dodgers crawled within a run in the sixth inning and again on Max Muncy’s solo home run in the eighth.
Rojas finally got the Dodgers even with one out in the ninth inning when he worked the count full against Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman then lined a hanging slider over the wall in left field. It was only the second extra-base hit in 21 postseason games for Rojas, the first since another home run for the Miami Marlins in their 2020 National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
They escaped a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the ninth, wasted their own in the top of the 10th and finally took their first lead of the night on Smith’s home run with two outs in the 11th.
Yamamoto, who threw 96 pitches in the Dodgers’ Game 6 win on Friday, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and threw 43 pitches to close the win. He gave up a leadoff double in the 11th to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was sacrificed to third. Addison Barger walked and Alejandro Kirk hit a broken-bat grounder to shortstop Mookie Betts, who started a title-winning 6-4-3 double play that ended baseball’s 150th major league season, the first that began and ended outside the United States.
“Yamamoto is the GOAT!” Roberts shouted moments before the Dodgers hoisted the World Series trophy.
The Dodgers used all four of their postseason starting pitchers in the finale.
“We’ve got a special group of guys, man,” Smith said. “We just never gave up. … Oh man, that was a fight, for seven games.”
Including a victory in Game 2 of last year’s World Series against the New York Yankees, Yamamoto is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in four Fall Classic appearances.
With their ninth championship and third in six years, the Dodgers made an argument for their 2020s teams to be considered a dynasty. Roberts, their manager since 2016, boosted the probability he will gain induction to the Hall of Fame.
The epic night matched the then-Florida Marlins’ 3-2 victory 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.
More to come on this story.
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Bill Plunkett
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