TORONTO — After a long week of hearing how the well-rested and exceptionally skilled Los Angeles Dodgers were heavy favourites to repeat as World Series champions, the under dog Toronto Blue Jays demonstrated that might be easier said than done.
The Blue Jays — to some the Rodney Dangerfields of the Fall Classic — shocked the team with Major League Baseball’s highest payroll, 11-4 last night in Game 1 at Rogers Centre.
The Blue Jays hit three home runs — including a pinch-hit grand slam by Addison Barger — had 14 hits and scored nine runs in the explosive sixth inning.
The Dodgers were held to six hits and a two-run homer by Shohei Ohtani when the game was all but over.
The Blue Jays will be aiming to win again tonight in the best-of-seven series when veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman gets the start. The Dodgers will counter with right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The winner of Game 1 has gone on to win the World Series 64.2 per cent of the time. The series will shift to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Tuesday. Game 5, if necessary, is Wednesday in Los Angeles.
This is the third time the Blue Jays have reached the Fall Classic. They beat the Atlanta Braves in 1992 and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2025.
The Canadian Press
