A dream season for the Toronto Blue Jays came up just short, as they lost Game 7 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Will Smith's home run in the top of the 11th inning was the difference as the Dodgers won the World Series for the second year in a row, becoming the first team to win consecutive World Series titles since the 2000 New York Yankees, who also won the Fall Classic in 1999 and 1998.
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The Blue Jays were two outs away from capturing their first World Series title since 1993, when Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas hit a game tying home run in the top of the 9th inning off Jeff Hoffman to tie the game 4-4. The blast to left field silenced the Rogers Centre crowd, that had been on its feet in anticipation of Hoffman closing out the game and giving the Jays the title.
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In the bottom of the inning, the Blue Jays loaded the bases. But they were unable to score, although for a moment it looked like Ernie Clement would have a walk-off, World Series winning hit when he sent a two out, deep fly ball to left-centre field. But centrefielder Andy Pages tracked down the ball and made the catch for the final out of the inning, despite colliding with left fielder Enrique Hernandez.
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And so it was off to extra innings. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the top of the 10th. But a force out at home resulted in the second out of the inning, and Toronto escaped when Enrique Hernandez grounded out for the third out.
The Blue Jays went quietly in the bottom of the 10th.
Following Smith's go ahead home run in the top of the 11th, Toronto had a chance to tie things up in bottom half, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the inning with a double, and was bunted to third by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. A walk to Addison Barger brought up Alejandro Kirk with the chance to knock Guerrero in and tie the game, but a ground ball to shortstop Mookie Betts led to a game ending double play.
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The loss brings to an end an incredible season by the Blue Jays. After finishing the 2024 season in last place in the American League East, 14 games under .500 and 20 games back of the division winning New York Yankees, the Blue Jays entered the 2025 season with not a single prognosticator picking them to win the division. But a four game sweep of the Yankees at the beginning of July saw the Blue Jays overtake New York for first place. The race for the division would come down to the final day of the regular season, with the two teams finishing with identical records. But Toronto was named division champion by virtue of its winning record against New York.
The Blue Jays, returning to the post-season for the first time since being swept in the 2023 Wild Card series, dispatched the Yankees three games to one in the American League Division Series. Following the series win against New York, Toronto won the American League Championship Series in seven games over Seattle.
And in a World Series that few gave them a chance to win against the Dodgers, the Jays took Los Angeles to the seventh and deciding game.
Now comes a long off-season of what if's and question marks about what the team will look like next season. Several players, including key contributors like Bo Bichette and pitchers Shane Bieber, Chris Bassitt, and Max Scherzer, are free agents.
But no matter how different the roster may look when the 2026 season begins, few Blue Jays fans will forget the excitement of the 2025 season, and how close this team came to the ultimate prize.
