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On Friday, the quest for the 2025 World Series title begins in Toronto and there will be plenty of interesting angles when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays square off.
Here are five interesting storylines to follow with the 2025 World Series:
1. Will the Dodgers “ruin baseball” with a win?
The Dodgers have heard all of the talk about them buying a championship. Manager Dave Roberts leaned into the villain role after his team swept the Milwaukee Brewers out of the NLCS, telling all who would listen, “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball.”
Los Angeles is 9-1 this postseason and has looked every bit the part of the reigning MLB champions. A World Series win would make the Dodgers the first repeat champs since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees and cement the franchise’s place as the team of the decade with a trio of World Series wins since 2020 dawned.
2. Can George Springer torment yet another old foe?
Springer came through with the biggest moment of ALCS Game 7 against the Seattle Mariners, a team he tormented for years when he was with the Houston Astros. The boos from the Mariners crowd throughout the ALCS were a constant reminder of Springer’s success against their franchise through the years.
Dodgers fans understand the wrath, with Springer earning World Series MVP in 2017 as the Astros downed Los Angeles in seven games. Springer hit five homers to earn that honor, something Dodgers fans won’t forget. Expect to hear plenty of boos every time Springer steps to the plate in Los Angeles.
3. What comes next for Shohei Ohtani?
The last time we saw Ohtani, he was making all kinds of history, befuddling the Brewers on the mound with 6.0 scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts while also hitting three home runs.
So what can Ohtani do for an encore in the Fall Classic? Well, he can start with improving upon his 2024 World Series performance when he went just 2-for-19 (.105 batting average) against the Yankees.
Ohtani has been up and down at the plate this postseason, going 1-for-18 (.056) in the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies before rebounding with a 5-for-14 (.357) performance against Milwaukee. What kind of numbers will we see from the three-time MVP and what moments will he create?
4. A battle of aggressive teams
No matter how you spin it, this series will highlight a pair of baseball teams that aren’t afraid to spend and make bold decisions at the MLB trade deadline. The Dodgers’ $268M active payroll is just over $108M more than the Blue Jays ($160.4M), but both teams have invested in their stars. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 14-year, $500M contract kicks in next year while Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700M deal when he joined the Dodgers before the 2024 season.
Remember when the Blue Jays were in the middle of the Ohtani free agency chase during that offseason only eventually to lose out to the Dodgers? It makes for a fascinating “what if” scenario.
5. International showdown
The Blue Jays represent an entire nation, bringing Canadian pride and a unique cross-border element to the Fall Classic. This is Toronto’s first World Series appearance since its back-to-back titles in 1992-93, creating massive national interest north of the border while the Dodgers bring Hollywood glamour and one of baseball’s biggest fanbases.
This year will truly be a World Series.
