The Los Angeles Dodgers won back-to-back World Series titles after a hard-fought game against the Toronto Blue Jays that lasted until the 11th inning in Game 7 in Toronto on Saturday night.
The Dodgers defeated the Blue Jays 5-4 at Rogers Center in Toronto, becoming the first Major League Baseball team to win back-to-back championships since the New York Yankees won three consecutive championships from 1998 to 2000. The Blue Jays are aiming to win the World Series for the first time since 1993, and have won consecutive games since 1992 as the reigning champions.
“This is the best World Series game I’ve ever witnessed,” former Yankees star and Fox Sports anchor Alex Rodriguez said flatly on Fox’s postgame show.
The network couldn’t script a game that would lead to a bigger finish. Toronto entered the 9th inning with a 4-3 lead. Toronto fans stood up and prepared to celebrate their team’s first series win in 32 years. In the top of the 9th inning, Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas hit the game-tying home run. In the top of the 11th inning, catcher Will Smith hit the winning hit.
The victory came at the end of an intense see-saw game in the Fall Classic, in which the Dodgers and Blue Jays proved evenly matched in the battle for the Commissioner’s Trophy. The game was a big showcase for Dodgers stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, and drew a good crowd for Fox, although it wasn’t as big as last year’s Dodgers-New York Yankees series. But it was pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto who won the series MVP trophy with his incredible arm and steely determination in the tense final minutes.
The Blue Jays won the first game at home, 11-4. The Dodgers came from behind to win Game 2 in Toronto (5-1) and Game 3 at home (6-5). Game 3 was a fierce battle lasting 18 innings. The Blue Jays then bounced back and won Games 4 (6-2) and 5 (6-1) in Los Angeles. The Dodgers then defeated the Blue Jays in Game 6 (3-1).
Through the first five games, the World Series averaged 12.5 million viewers on Fox Linear Network, Fox Sports streaming and Fox Deportes. Viewership for Game 5, which took place on Halloween night, increased to 14.6 million, with a peak audience of 16 million for the final 15 minutes.
But last year’s matchup between the Dodgers and Yankees had more impact in the nation’s largest television market, even though the series lasted only five games. The average number of viewers through Game 5 in 2024 was 15.8 million. This year’s five-game average is the second highest since 2018, according to Fox Sports.
The Game 7 tie, otherwise known as “The Two Greatest Words in Sports,” was also appealing to Hollywood marketers whose titles wanted to reach a wide audience. Universal’s “Wicked: For Good,” like Disney’s “Zootopia 2” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things 5,” aired attention-grabbing teaser spots during the game.
The 2025 World Series provided a number of standout moments for the Dodgers superstar. Ohtani pitched the first two and a half innings of Game 7 and also hit a clutch big home run in the game before that. Freeman ended a wild 18th inning with a walk-off home run, earning him even more love from Dodgers fans. Betts hit the winning hit in Game 6, and outfielder Quique Hernandez converted an impressive, game-saving double play in Game 6.
Before the Yankees took off in the late 1990s, the Blue Jays were the last team to win back-to-back games in 1992 and 1993.
The Dodgers are scheduled to hold a victory parade in Los Angeles on Monday.
