The keys to Game 3 of the World Series
Freeman’s power, Will Klein’s relief, the performance of His Majesty Ohtani and a controversial counting decision were the main keys to Game 3 of the World Series.
A swing by Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers relief team combined to beat the Toronto Blue Jays in game three of the 2025 Major League Baseball World Series.
In an instant classic that concluded with Freeman’s home run off left-hander Brendon Little in the bottom of the 18th inning, the Dodgers beat the Blue Jays 6-5 to take a 2-1 lead and put themselves halfway to their second consecutive title.
The game tied the record for longest in a fall classic with No. 3 in 2018, which the Dodgers won against the Boston Red Sox on a home run by Max Muncy.
Freeman is the first player with multiple walk-off home runs in the World Series. Last year he gave the dose, but with the bases loaded, to New York, in game 1 at Dodger Stadium.
The winner of the third game of a best-of-7 World Series, tied 1-1, has been crowned 42 of 61 times, a frequency of 69%. Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday at 5 pm PT (8 pm ET) at Dodger Stadium.
Ohtani breaks several records in Game 3 of the World Series
Ohtani, a candidate to win the Most Valuable Player award for the second year in a row and fourth time in his career, went 4 for 4 with two home runs, two doubles, five walks (four intentional), three runs scored and three RBIs.
The Japanese is the first player to reach base cleanly in nine appearances in a postseason game and tied the record for any type of Major League game with Stan Hack (1942), Johnny Burnett (1932) and Max Carey (1922).
Since 1900, Ohtani is the first batter with four extra-base hits and five walks in a single game, playoff or regular series.
His intentional walks in the ninth, eleventh, thirteenth and 15th innings are the first all-time innings issued from the ninth onwards in a World Series game, and his four extra-base hits tied Frank Isbell’s record (1906).
His second home run of the night, in the seventh inning, tied the game at 5-5. He now has eight home runs in the current postseason, tying the franchise record with Corey Seager (2020). Seven of those home runs occurred at Dodger Stadium, the most by a player in a playoff.
Will Klein excels in great bullpen duel in World Series
Los Angeles’ struggling relief team, which had a 4.27 ERA and only converted 46 of 73 save opportunities in the regular season and entered Monday with a 6.16 ERA (21 CL in 30.2 IL) and 1.73 WHIP in the postseason, limited Toronto’s high-powered offense to one run in 13.1 innings.
After starter Tyler Glasnow left with less than five innings (4.2), Anthony Banda, Justin Wrobleski, Jack Dreyer, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Clayton Kershaw, Edgardo Henríquez and Will Klein pitched scoreless.
Blake Treinen (1 run, 1 out) was the only one who allowed Toronto to score.
Klein threw 72 pitches in four scoreless innings to earn the victory. Los Angeles is the first club to use 10 pitchers in a World Series game.
Toronto’s relief corps didn’t do too badly either, holding the Dodgers to three runs in 12.2 innings. The Canadian Blues put eight relievers on parade, including Eric Lauer, who was the most worked pitcher on his team with 4.2 innings.
The 19 pitchers who performed combined to throw 609 pitches (312 for the Dodgers, 297 for the Blue Jays), 37 runners were left on base and 25 position players were used.
Pitching to Ohtani in the seventh inning was suicide
Leading 5-4, one out and the bases cleared in the seventh inning, Ohtani stepped up to the plate against Dominican reliever Seranthony Dominguez. The Blue Jays held a meeting, which made many think that they were going to intentionally walk him. Ohtani came into the turn hitting 3-for-3 with a home run and two doubles in the game and 6-for-6 with four home runs and two doubles in his last two home games.
Surprisingly, the decision was to throw to Ohtani, who missed Dominguez’s first pitch, a 97.6-mile fastball down the middle of the plate, to tie the score at 5-5.
Ohtani, who went 4 for 4 and tied a World Series record with four extra-base hits, was intentionally walked in the ninth inning and retired by Kirk in an attempt to steal second base. He was also intentionally walked in the 11th inning and limped to second base when Mookie Betts singled.
Alejandro Kirk continues to make history for Mexican baseball players
Mexican catcher Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run homer against Glasnow in the fourth inning to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead over the Dodgers and finished the game going 2 for 4 with two walks and three RBIs.
It was Kirk’s second home run in the fall classic and fifth of the postseason. Kirk is the first player born in Mexico to hit the ball out of the park in the World Series and his total of home runs represents a record for Mexicans (Vinny Castilla had three on three different occasions) and tied the record for catchers with the Puerto Rican Sandy Alomar (1997) and the North American Cal Raleigh (2025).
Kirk put out Freddie Freman at the plate in the third inning, after receiving a great shot from right fielder Addison Barger, and retired Ohtani with a strong shot when he tried to steal second in the tenth.
Decision on counting balls and strikes causes discord between Blue Jays and Dodgers
In the second inning, Toronto tried to set up an ambush against Tyler Glasnow, but a decision by head referee Mark Wegner changed the sequence against the visitors.
Bo Bichette started the episode with a single. Batting Daulton Varsho on a 3-1 count, the batter and runner assumed the fifth pitch was a ball, causing Bichette to be thrown out off the base on a throw by Glasnow. In addition to the pitch looking high in the zone, another aspect that influenced the play was the slowness with which Wegner called the strike.
AM850’s tracking system showed that the pitch that confused the Blue Jays had a 15% chance of being called a strike.
Varsho ended the inning by walking and advanced to third on a hit by Mexican catcher Alejandro Kirk, but Tyler Glasnow struck out Addison Barger and dominated Ernie Clement with a soft liner to center field.
How the World Series is going after Game 3
Los Angeles (2-1) won the World Series each of the last three times they led 2-1 (1988, 2020, 2024). Their last loss in that situation was in 1978 against the New York Yankees.
For the Blue Jays it is the first time in their history that they are behind in the World Series after three games. They won game 3 in 1992 and 1993.
Los Angeles is 6-1 at home this postseason and has won four straight (includes 4 straight wins). It is the third time they have won four or more consecutive playoff games at Dodger Stadium.
George Springer is injured in Game 3 of the World Series
Designated hitter George Springer had to leave the game in the seventh inning, sore after taking a swing. The player was evaluated by a coach and replaced by emerging Ty France.
Springer, who hit his knee on a foul ball in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners, surprised by remaining on the field in all of his team’s subsequent games.
Springer hit a game-winning home run in the seventh inning of Game 7 against Seattle, catapulting Toronto to its first World Series appearance in 32 years. But the great postseason hitter’s continuation (23 home runs and 47 RBIs in his career) was left in doubt with his abrupt departure on Monday.
