Will Smith blasted an 11th-inning home run and Miguel Rojas delivered a game-tying shot in the ninth as the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays 5–4 in a dramatic Game 7 on Saturday night, securing their second straight World Series championship.
The Dodgers, who rallied from 3–0 and 4–2 deficits, became the first team in 25 years to repeat as champions — and the first National League club to do so since the 1975–76 Cincinnati Reds. Their ninth overall title cements a potential modern dynasty under manager Dave Roberts, who has now guided the club to three championships in six seasons.
Smith crushed a 2-0 slider from Shane Bieber into the Blue Jays’ bullpen for the go-ahead run in the 11th, marking the Dodgers’ first lead of the night.
Earlier, Rojas, a lineup addition in Game 6, tied the game in the ninth with a full-count blast off Jeff Hoffman, completing another dramatic comeback for Los Angeles.
Starter Shohei Ohtani, pitching on three days’ rest, surrendered a three-run homer to Bo Bichette in the third, giving Toronto an early lead. But the Dodgers clawed back with sacrifice flies from Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman, and a solo homer by Max Muncy in the eighth kept the pressure on.
Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitching for the second straight day, delivered one of the defining performances of the postseason. Entering in the ninth with the bases loaded, Yamamoto escaped the jam, then tossed 2⅔ scoreless innings for his third win of the Series.
In the 11th, after yielding a leadoff double to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Yamamoto forced a ground ball that turned into a title-clinching 6–4–3 double play, started by Mookie Betts and finished by Max Muncy.
“That’s what champions do — they fight until the last out,” Roberts said afterward. “This team has heart, and tonight they showed it.”
Toronto’s bullpen faltered late after solid outings from Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt, who combined to limit Los Angeles early. Rookie Trey Yesavage and relievers Hoffman and Seranthony Domínguez couldn’t hold the lead, despite multiple escape opportunities.
In the ninth, Andy Pages preserved the tie with a spectacular backhand catch at the warning track, colliding with Kiké Hernández in one of the night’s defining defensive plays.
The 11-inning marathon matched the 1997 Marlins–Cleveland Game 7 as the second-longest World Series finale ever, behind only the 1924 Washington Senators’ 4–3 win over the New York Giants.
With this victory, the Dodgers not only defended their 2024 crown but also solidified their place among baseball’s most dominant modern-era franchises — a run reminiscent of the Yankees’ late-1990s dynasty.
“We’re building something special here,” Smith said while holding the Series MVP trophy. “This is what we play for — moments like this.”
