Jeff Passan focuses on stars Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ahead of the Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series. (1:28)
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays. NL West vs. AL East. Shohei Ohtani vs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
It's time for Game 1 of the 2025 World Series, featuring an L.A. squad looking to repeat as champions against a team that hasn't won it all since going back-to-back in 1992-93 -- and we're here to get you ready for all the action.
With the first pitch of Game 1 scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre, we break down the players and matchups that matter most for both teams. We also asked our ESPN MLB experts to make their picks for who will win the Series, how many games it will take and who will be the MVP of this Fall Classic.
What's on the line for the Dodgers: History! Big-time history. The Dodgers are looking to become the first repeat champions since the Yankees won three years in a row from 1998 to 2000. L.A. would love to send Clayton Kershaw into retirement as a champion, even if he'll probably be watching this one from the bench or the bullpen.
The Dodgers have a 60.4% chance of winning the World Series, according to ESPN's Bradford Doolittle. Here's how it breaks down by number of games:
And while it's fair game to hate the Dodgers for buying an entire starting rotation, it's worth noting they won it all last year with a 98-win regular season and might win this year following a 93-win regular season, but did not win in seasons of 104 wins (2017), 106 wins (2019), 106 wins again (2021) 111 wins (2022) and 100 wins (2023). This could be one of the great dynasties in MLB history but in the eyes of some, they'll need back-to-back titles to officially earn that designation. -- David Schoenfield
Starting pitching. Dodgers starters have posted a 1.40 ERA in these playoffs, the lowest ever for a team that played at least 10 postseason games. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani have already contributed eight starts of at least six innings and no more than three runs allowed. And if their collective dominance wasn't enough, they'll go into this World Series on extended rest, giving manager Dave Roberts more freedom to push his starters even deeper into games. The Dodgers won it all last year with a dominant bullpen that made up for a very limited starting rotation. It's the opposite this year, and it's a much easier way to live.
The depth of their lineup. Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy have all slumped to varying degrees in the two series since the Dodgers cruised past the Reds in the wild-card round, but the likes of Kiké Hernández, Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernandez and Will Smith have picked up the slack along the way. And that's what's so dangerous about this team: even when their superstars are off track, others can step up. The offense never fully clicked against the Phillies or the Brewers, but that can turn at any moment -- especially with Smith seemingly fully recovered from his hairline fracture.
Roki Sasaki. Nobody will benefit more from extended rest than the converted starting pitcher who, we should note, is still navigating his first season in the States. Sasaki recaptured his velocity, displayed immediate comfort in a high-leverage bullpen role and has dominated as the Dodgers' newfound closer, allowing just one run in eight postseason innings. At this point, there are no restrictions with Sasaki. He can pitch in back-to-backs, he can come in mid-inning, and he can record up to nine outs, as he did in the NLDS clincher. The Dodgers might be weak in the bullpen, but if their starters are pitching deep and Sasaki is picking up most of the rest, it's really tough to score against them. -- Alden Gonzalez
