The Fall Classic, or better known as the World Series, is set between the National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the American League Champion Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, October 24.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the defending World Series champions, and the amount of star power that is on the team is unlike anything baseball has ever seen. The Dodgers’ payroll is also worth mentioning, as the entire team is worth an insane 350 million, and with the amount of stars on the team, they’d like their fair share of money. Notably, two-way star Shohei Ohtani signed a ten-year contract with the Dodgers, which was worth seven hundred million dollars. Looking back at it, Ohtani, along with the rest of this roster, was worth every single penny for the Dodgers.
They finished as the number three seed in the National League and immediately made their mark in the playoffs. In the National League Wildcard, the Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds in just two games to advance to the National League Division round facing the Philadelphia Phillies. In this round, each Dodger win was decided by two runs or less with the only game that they did not win by this margin was there only loss which was 8-2 Philadelphia. The Dodgers ultimately eliminated the Phillies by winning the series three games to one. With this they advanced to the National League Championship Series where they faced the number one seeded Milwaukee Brewers.
Many overlooked the Dodgers as a result of their previous struggles against the Brewers, but once the series began, the critics immediately were silenced. The Dodgers took the first two games from Milwaukee thanks to incredible pitching performances from the top two aces, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Game three consisted of a wonderful bullpen performance from the Dodgers putting them just one win away from the Fall Classic. Game four, though, was nothing short of greatness. Shohei Ohtani put what may be the single greatest performance from a player in an MLB game. Ohtani was the starting pitcher on the mound and was the leadoff hitter for this game, who, coming into this game, was having underwhelming playoff performances. Shohei pitched six scoreless innings and hit three home runs in this game, helping the Dodgers head back to the World Series for the second consecutive season as they now look to defend their title.
The Toronto Blue Jays, on the other hand, are heading to their first World Series since 1993. On paper this team is not supposed to be here. The Blue Jays were highly overlooked at the beginning of this season and many thought them on track to have another mediocre year. But Toronto completely flipped the script, making a statement to other teams.
They are led by all-star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and shortstop Bo Bichette, along with the presence of veteran left fielder George Springer. By the all-star break, the Blue Jays were atop of the entire American League with a 55-39 record. The Blue Jays then continued their dominance post all star break and finished first in the American League. With this, they were rewarded home field advantage for the postseason. This then granted them a spot in the American League Division Series where they would take on the New York Yankees.
The Yankees, just a year ago, were in the World Series and ultimately hoped to make it back to where they felt they belonged. The Blue Jays quickly established themselves as the better team in the series as they gained a 2-0 lead over New York. Notably Guerrero, in game two, hit an electrifying grand slam that had the city of Toronto screaming and shouting. The Blue Jays then went on to win this series after losing game three but their dominance and the noise they made sent a warning to the rest of the American League.
In the American League Championship Series, they then were faced up against the Seattle Mariners. Seattle had found there stride in the playoffs as well and shockingly took the first two games in Toronto to take a 2-0 lead. But in a turn of events, Toronto would then take the next two games to tie up the series at 2-2 heading into game five. Game five and six occurred, and each team showed no sign of stopping their goal of going to the Fall Classic. This series would then head to game seven which had a thrilling moment of its own. The Blue Jays trailed the Mariners 3-1 in the bottom of the 7th inning and needed a spark. Veteran outfielder George Springer gave them that with just one swing of the bat hitting a three run homerun, which was enough to help them advance to the World Series. Now the Blue Jays look to earn their third World Series in franchise history.
The World Series begins October 23 from Toronto, with a series that looks to be filled with unforgettable moments.
