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Dodgers Claim World Series Title in Thrilling Game 7
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- Dodgers Claim World Series Title in Thrilling Game 7
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The Los Angeles Dodgers took home the Commissioner's Trophy in a World Series for the ages, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in the 11th inning of Game 7 on a home run from catcher Will Smith . The Dodgers trailed 3-0 early after a three-run bomb from banged up infielder Bo Bichette , but managed to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning on a home run from second baseman Miguel Rojas .
Both the Blue Jays and the Dodgers wriggled out of bases loaded jams with the game on the line, and Dodgers' starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto picked up the win (and World Series MVP honors) after completing 2.2 innings on zero days rest.
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Here are the winners and losers from a Game 7 for the ages.
Winner: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto took over for Blake Snell with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, the World Series winning run just 90 feet away from home plate. Despite Yamamoto having thrown 96 pitches over six innings the previous night , Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts trusted the star right-hander with the season on the line, and the move paid off.
Yamamoto threw 34 pitches and, although he began to tire in the 11th inning, giving up a leadoff double to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , he managed to escape the jam, forcing a double play to clinch the series. After giving up just two runs and striking out 15 batters across 17.2 innings this World Series, Yamamoto was a shoe-in for MVP honors.
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Winner: Miguel Rojas
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The Dodgers' prospects looked bleak in the top of the ninth inning, trailing 4-3 with the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters due up to begin the frame. Despite his position at the bottom of the lineup, Miguel Rojas saved the Dodgers' season, blasting a home run to left off Blue Jays' reliever Jeff Hoffman to tie the game.
Rojas' heroics continued in the bottom of the inning, when he fielded a ground ball off the bat of Daulton Varsho with the bases loaded. Looking right, he saw second base uncovered and knew there wasn't time for a double play, making the snap decision to throw home and nail Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the plate.
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Loser: Isiah Kiner-Falefa
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Isiah Kiner-Falefa entered in the ninth inning as a pinch runner for the banged up Bo Bichette , and could've gone down as the World Series winning run after the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out.
Instead, he didn't take a lead off of third base with the infield in, getting a late start on Varsho's groundball. Kiner-Falefa then slid into home plate feet first instead of remaining on his feet — no need to slide with the bases loaded, allowing catcher Will Smith to simply step on the bag for a force out — or maintaining his momentum with a headfirst slide.
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Instead, Kiner-Falefa was out by less than a stride, and the Dodgers managed to escape the jam. A pinch runner has one job, running the bases effectively, and Kiner-Falefa failed to do so.
Winner: Bo Bichette
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Blue Jays' infielder Bo Bichette got the scoring started with a three-run home run off Dodgers' superstar Shohei Ohtani , chasing him from the mound after just seven outs and putting Toronto in the driver's seat at home.
Bichette missed close to two months with a left knee sprain, visibly struggling to run the bases in Game 7, but still managed to play the field for nine innings before manager John Schneider opted for a pinch-runner.
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Bichette's first game this postseason was Game 1 of the World Series, but he excelled despite having no time to warm up, slashing .348/.444/.478 with a home run. If the Blue Jays' bullpen had managed to hang on, Bichette's gutsy battle through injury could've made him the hero of the series.
Winner: Will Smith
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Will Smith came up with the series-winning dagger, roping a home run to left off Blue Jays' starter-turned-reliever Shane Bieber with two outs in the 11th inning. He also helped save the game in the ninth, catching a feed from Miguel Rojás to cut down the lead runner at home plate, and worked a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play in the first inning.
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Last but not least, Smith deserves credit for guiding an exhausted pitching staff through 11 innings of work, including short rest performances from Tyler Glasnow , Yamamoto and Snell.
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