A World Series for the Ages: Dodgers Triumph Over Blue Jays in Historic Showdown

The 2024 World Series, a dramatic seven-game confrontation between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, has transcended immediate appraisal, demanding recognition as potentially the greatest ever played. Its seven games, still reverberating through the baseball world, showcased a tapestry of improbable storylines, individual brilliance, and a relentless competitive spirit that stretched the boundaries of the sport. The series was not defined by perfection in every game, as some contests contained flaws, but rather by its profound entertainment value, compelling narratives, and a continuous stream of unprecedented events.

Among the historical occurrences were an 18-inning marathon game, a record-setting pitching performance by a 22-year-old rookie, the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history, the first World Series game to commence with back-to-back home runs, and the first game-ending, 7-4 double play ever recorded in the Fall Classic. It also featured a bizarre, three-pitch relief outing from a pitcher who had not worked in relief in seven years, the final major league appearance for the greatest pitcher of his era, and a Game 7 masterpiece culminating in an unforgettable, ironman pitching performance that may not be witnessed again for generations.

The stakes were immense for both franchises. The Toronto Blue Jays, who finished last in the American League East in the 2024 regular season, made their first World Series appearance since their back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. The Los Angeles Dodgers, meanwhile, were aiming to become the first team to repeat as world champions since the New York Yankees achieved the feat from 1998 to 2000. This highly anticipated clash brought together disparate narratives and expectations, culminating in a climactic Game 7.

In the decisive Game 7, Toronto sent 41-year-old Max Scherzer to the mound, making him the oldest pitcher to start a World Series Game 7. Scherzer, a veteran of numerous postseason battles, had also started the last Game 7 in the World Series, for the Washington Nationals in 2019. Across the diamond, the Dodgers countered with Shohei Ohtani, widely regarded as the most remarkable player in baseball history, pitching on just three days’ rest. The anticipation for the final game was palpable, with Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a dominant force throughout the postseason, declaring it "the biggest day of my life in baseball."

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Game 7 proved to be an epic, joining an exclusive list of only six World Series Game 7s to extend into extra innings. The Dodgers, initially falling behind 3-0, staged a remarkable comeback to secure a 5-4 victory in 11 breathtaking innings. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts orchestrated a strategic pitching display, utilizing all four of his ace starters: Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and the eventual World Series MVP, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto’s performance was particularly extraordinary; after throwing 96 pitches in his Game 6 victory the day prior, he miraculously returned to pitch the final 2 ⅔ innings of Game 7, throwing an additional 34 pitches. This made him only the fourth pitcher in history to win both Game 6 and Game 7 of the World Series, a feat widely hailed as one of the greatest pitching performances in the history of the sport.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith lauded his teammate, stating, "He is one of the greatest pitchers on the planet. What he did tonight was amazing." It was Smith’s own home run off Shane Bieber in the 11th inning that provided the winning run, marking a curious six-year streak of a player named Will Smith being part of a World Series-winning team. However, Smith’s game-winner was not the only dramatic homer for the Dodgers that night. Second baseman and No. 9 hitter Miguel Rojas, whose four stellar defensive plays contributed significantly to the Game 6 victory, stunningly homered with one out in the ninth inning off Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman to tie the score. This marked Rojas’s first extra-base hit of the entire postseason, and he joined Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski (1960) as the only players in World Series history to hit a game-winning or game-tying home run in the ninth inning of a Game 7.

For the Blue Jays, the loss was devastating, particularly after their exceptional play in the first five games. Toronto’s offense had been historic, scoring 105 runs in a single postseason, the most by any team in history. Yet, when pivotal hits were required in the series’ waning moments, they faltered. In Game 6, the Blue Jays went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and in Game 7, they managed just 3-for-17. Despite this, individual performances shone through, such as that of infielder Ernie Clement, whose 30 hits set a new record for the most by any player in one postseason. Clement was nearly the hero in the ninth inning of Game 7, only to be robbed of a potential World Series-winning hit by a spectacular leaping catch from Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages, a defensive replacement, in left-center field with two outs and the bases loaded. Following the heartbreak, Clement demonstrated remarkable sportsmanship, comforting Blue Jays dugout reporter Hazel Mae who was visibly distraught. "Are you OK?" Clement asked her. "You’re going to be OK. Don’t worry. We’re going to be OK, too. Don’t worry."

The series was indeed full of tension, best understood through a chronological review of its extraordinary games. Game 1 saw the Blue Jays hand the ball to Trey Yesavage, who made his major league debut on September 15. Yesavage pitched four innings in an 11-4 Toronto victory, which also featured the return of Bo Bichette, playing his first game since September 6. Bichette, Toronto’s primary shortstop, surprisingly started at second base for the first time in his major league career, marking the first instance since 1931 that an infielder started a World Series game at a position he had never played in the big leagues. The game was broken open in the sixth inning by a pinch-hit grand slam from Addison Barger, a historic first in World Series play. Barger, who had spent the night before on a pullout couch in teammate Davis Schneider’s hotel room, later quipped, "I woke up on my friend’s couch the morning of the game, and after the game, the Hall of Fame asked me for my spikes." Barger, one of several Blue Jays who became folk heroes during October, explained his powerful swing by recounting his youth: "I was the smallest kid on our team — I was 4-foot-10 as a freshman, I was 5-feet, 90 pounds as a sophomore. My dad had me play up. I was a small 13-year-old playing against 18-year-olds. My only hope was to swing as hard as I could."

Game 2 highlighted the remarkable Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose rigorous preparation includes throwing a javelin before games and an intense stretching routine. Yamamoto silenced the potent Blue Jays lineup, limiting them to just four hits and becoming the first pitcher since Curt Schilling in 2001 to throw back-to-back complete games in a single postseason. Blue Jays infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa noted, "He is hard to hit because he has elite command, his delivery is deceptive, everything comes out of the same arm slot and he is short [5-foot-10]. With Justin Verlander [who is tall and has a high release point], you can see his fastball coming out of the sky. With [Yamamoto], you can’t see it because he is short." Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw later reflected, "If I could do it over again, I would throw a javelin in between starts."

Kershaw, widely considered the greatest pitcher of his generation, made his own appearance in Game 3, which etched itself into the record books as an 18-inning marathon. He was one of an astounding 19 pitchers, including a record 10 from the Dodgers, to work in the 6-hour, 39-minute contest that saw 609 pitches thrown. This game tied the 2018 World Series Game 3 between the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers, also at Dodger Stadium, for the longest World Series game by innings. While Max Muncy won the 2018 game with an 18th-inning walk-off homer, this game was decided by Freddie Freeman, who became the first player in major league history to hit two walk-off home runs in the World Series. Muncy jokingly acknowledged the moment, saying, "If Freddie didn’t end with a homer, I would have. So amazing. A first baseman leads off the 18th with a walk-off homer on a 3-2 pitch. Same as I did [in 2018]."

However, even Freeman’s heroics were overshadowed by Shohei Ohtani’s unbelievable performance in Game 3. Ohtani had nine plate appearances and reached base in every single one, a feat unmatched in World Series history where no player had ever reached base seven times in a single game. Only four other players in major league history, regular or postseason, had reached base nine times in a game. Ohtani started with two doubles and two home runs in his first four at-bats, making him only the second player with four extra-base hits in a World Series game. He then walked in his final five plate appearances, four of them intentionally, setting another World Series record. Prior to this game, only Albert Pujols in 2011 had been intentionally walked with the bases empty in a World Series game; Ohtani did it three times, including twice in a three-inning span. Freeman expressed the collective amazement: "I mean, really, 9-for-9? Are you kidding me? Only Shohei could do that." Yet, even Ohtani’s historic night was not the game’s most unexpected story. Will Klein, with only 22 innings pitched in his major league career, pitched the final four scoreless innings to earn the victory. Klein, who had spent the early rounds of the playoffs in the Dodgers’ "Get Hot Camp" in Arizona, was a taxi squad player unexpectedly activated for the World Series. "I looked around in the 14th inning and realized I was the only one left in the pen," he said. Klein, who threw 72 pitches, twice his previous major league high, was later congratulated by legendary Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax. "I didn’t know what to say, I could barely speak," Klein recounted. "I mean…he is Sandy Koufax!"

Game 4 again showcased the greatness of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In the third inning, he gave the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead with a two-run home run off Ohtani, a moment that highlighted the global appeal and growth of baseball as two of its biggest stars, one from the Dominican Republic (born in Canada) and the other from Japan, clashed on the biggest stage. Guerrero consistently won these confrontations throughout the postseason, finishing with a .397 batting average, 8 home runs, 15 RBIs, and an astounding only 7 strikeouts in an era dominated by high strikeout rates. His performance also dispelled any notion of him being a "lumbering, unathletic" first baseman; he has won a Gold Glove, was a finalist for another this year, made two critical defensive plays in Game 7, and is an above-average runner. Blue Jays manager John Schneider revealed a motivational tactic: "Sometime in July, I went to Vladdy with a bar chart that I put together about great players and their running speed, and the way they run the bases. The graph had [Aaron] Judge, [Manny] Machado and Vladdy. I asked him, ‘Who is the fastest of these three?’ He didn’t know. I said, ‘Vladdy, you are.’" Guerrero’s homer off Ohtani gave the Blue Jays a lead they would not relinquish, eventually tacking on four more runs in the seventh to seal the win. Ernie Clement, who personifies the gritty Blue Jays, delivered a key hit in that seventh inning. Clement had been released by the A’s in 2022 after going 1-for-18 but made a swing change in 2023 that transformed him into a quality everyday major league player. Teammate Davis Schneider described him as "one of those guys who is good at everything. Hockey. Pingpong. Everything." Davis Schneider himself, who nearly faced release three times in the minor leagues, also embodies the Blue Jays’ resilient spirit, stating, "All the guys on this team took a different path to get here. It’s one reason we are here."

Game 5 commenced with immediate fireworks. With DH George Springer sidelined due to an intercostal injury, Davis Schneider led off the game for Toronto and launched a home run off Blake Snell, who had allowed only one homer in his previous 50 innings. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed with another home run, marking the first time in World Series history that the first two hitters of a game homered. This early lead was more than enough for Trey Yesavage, who was making his eighth major league start and fifth in the postseason. Yesavage joined Joe Black (1952) as the only pitchers in history to start more games in the postseason than in their regular-season careers. He was unhittable for seven innings, becoming the first rookie to strike out 12 in a World Series game and the first pitcher to strike out 12 without issuing a walk in a Series game. He also joined Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers with 10 strikeouts in the first five innings of a World Series game. Davis Schneider expressed the team’s awe: "I never met him until he got here [September 15]. I might have met him in spring training, but if I did, I don’t remember. Now, he’s doing amazing things. He is such a modest dude walking around the clubhouse. He has made the best hitters in the world look like they’ve never swung a bat before."

Game 6, though not reaching the legendary status of a Buckner (1986), Puckett (1991), Freese (2011), Fisk (1975), or Carter (1993) Game 6, featured a jarring and unforgettable finish. Yoshinobu Yamamoto started for the Dodgers, but despite one Blue Jay suggesting before the game, "We know he is on a 1,000-pitch count tonight," he was removed after six innings and 96 pitches with a 3-1 lead. Roki Sasaki had a shaky eighth inning, and in the ninth, he hit Alejandro Kirk to lead off. Addison Barger then hit a ringing line drive to left-center field that impossibly lodged between the padding on the outfield wall and the warning track. Dodgers center fielder Justin Dean, alerted by left fielder Enrique Hernandez, threw up his hands, and the umpires ruled it an automatic two bases. Blue Jays manager John Schneider commented, "I have never seen a ball get lodged in there." Davis Schneider added, "I’ve tried to wedge a ball in there. And I couldn’t do it." Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel, who inspects every stadium, noted, "I walked that outfield area, and I said, ‘This is clean. Nothing can get stuck in there.’ Then, it did." The lodged ball was a significant stroke of bad luck for the Blue Jays, who might have scored a run and had Barger at third with no outs had the ball caromed normally. In came Tyler Glasnow, who was scheduled to start Game 7 but was summoned for his first relief appearance since 2018. He induced Ernie Clement to pop out to first base on the first pitch. Two pitches later, Andres Gimenez hit a soft liner to left. "I thought, ‘Please don’t drop, please don’t drop,’" Glasnow recalled. Hernandez, a natural infielder, charged the ball like one, catching it on the run and making a quick throw to Miguel Rojas, who made a terrific catch. Barger was doubled off second base, a critical baserunning mistake that resulted in the only postseason game in history to end on a 7-4 double play. Thanks to Hernandez and Rojas, Glasnow secured three outs on just three pitches for his first career save. Hernandez later explained his decision: "The [defensive metric] card had me playing shallow on that play, but I then moved in seven feet. If he hits it over my head, I will live with the consequences. I was not going to let a ball land in front of me. I trust my instincts over a computer any day." Barger candidly admitted, "It was a bad read by me."

That pivotal moment set the stage for one of the greatest Game 7s in World Series history, ultimately cementing the Dodgers’ dynasty. They claimed their third World Series title this decade, becoming the first team since the New York Yankees from 1953-58 to win three World Series and maintain a winning percentage of .630 over a six-year span. The Blue Jays, despite the devastating loss, achieved something equally important in this postseason: they showcased a compelling style of baseball characterized by elite defense, putting balls in play, treating every at-bat with intense focus, valuing the hit over solely the home run, and consistently challenging their opponents. They also demonstrated the profound value of character, chemistry, and camaraderie within the clubhouse and on the field. Ernie Clement, after the Game 7 loss, reflected on their bond: "I just played a season with my 30 best friends. I just finished crying for about an hour. This is the closest team I have ever been on. I just love coming to work with these guys."

The 2024 World Series, a testament to the enduring appeal and unpredictable nature of baseball, captivated audiences worldwide. As the final out was recorded, the sentiment echoed by many, including veteran baseball writer Steve Rushin, who observed the postseason from afar, was clear. Prior to Game 7, he sent a concise message that encapsulated the feeling of baseball fans everywhere: "What a time to be alive."