By Ireti Asemota.
In the days leading up to Game 7 on Saturday night in Toronto, there was a buzz in the air. The Dodgers’ two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and the Blue Jays’ three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer faced off in an all-time pitching matchup. It also saw Toronto’s powerful offense clash with Los Angeles’ powerful offense. And, boy, did the win-or-go-home four-plus hour game live up to all the hype and then some!
Bo Bichette’s three-run home run off Ohtani in the third inning gave the Jays an early lead. The Dodgers did not give up, despite the fact that it knocked Ohtani off the mound. Two sacrifice flies in the fourth and sixth inning made it a one-run game but Blue Jays second baseman Andrés Giménez doubled to right field to score Ernie Clement to double the lead in bottom of the sixth before Max Muncy’s solo shot in the eighth inning made it a one-run game again.
When it comes to the Dodgers, Miguel Rojas was one of those people who shined when the spotlight was most intense. The 36-year-old shortstop, who had a terrible postseason at the plate, hit a crucial shot off closer Jeff Hoffman in the ninth inning to tie the game and prevent the Blue Jays from winning their first championship in 32 years. In the half-inning that followed, the team’s title hopes were kept alive by Rojas’ excellent defensive play and Andy Pages’ incredible catch when he collided with Kiké Hernández to force extra innings.
Will Smith, a Dodgers catcher who has hit a lot of big home runs, hit the game-winning solo shot in the 11th inning once more. The Dodgers and Jays appeared to take control multiple times, but pitching came up big for both teams. However, the Dodgers’ hero was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who won the game as LA’s starter in Game 6 on Friday. The 27-year-old Japanese phenom threw 2 and 2/3 innings and closed the door on the Jays, forcing catcher Alejandro Kirk to ground into a double-play to clinch the win.
Los Angeles became the first team since the New York Yankees won three games in a row from 1998 to 2000 to win consecutive games. The MVP of the World Series went to Yamamoto.
