The World Series matchup is set! How the Blue Jays, Dodgers can win it all

The 2025 World Series is set, and it volition beryllium a matchup betwixt the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

After the defending champion Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers successful the National League Championship Series, the Blue Jays outlasted the Seattle Mariners successful a thrilling American League series.

What carried Toronto and Los Angeles this acold -- and volition it proceed to enactment successful the Fall Classic? Which stars volition radiance brightest? And who other indispensable measurement up? Our MLB experts are present with your archetypal look astatine this year's World Series showdown.

Note: Matchup likelihood travel from Doolittle's look utilizing powerfulness ratings arsenic the ground for 10,000 simulations to find the astir apt outcomes. Team temperatures are based connected Bill James' look for determining however "hot" oregon "cold" a squad is astatine immoderate fixed point; mean is 72°.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

For the archetypal clip successful much than 3 decades, the Toronto Blue Jays are backmost successful the World Series wherever they volition find the well-rested, defending champion Dodgers waiting for them. It's the 3rd Fall Classic for the Toronto franchise but the archetypal since the Jays won back-to-back titles successful 1992 and '93.

The Expos ne'er won a pennant, truthful the 2 Toronto pennants relationship for each World Series appearances by Canada-based clubs. Game 1 astatine the Rogers Centre volition people the seventh World Series crippled played extracurricular of the U.S. border. And, spoiler alert, Canada volition beryllium rocking.

There's a reasonably constricted past betwixt the teams successful presumption of regular-season interleague play. The Dodgers clasp the all-time edge, 19-11, and the franchises did not conscionable until June 18, 2002. The Blue Jays won that archetypal brushwood down a Roy Halladay implicit crippled that featured an absorbing brace of leadoff hitters. Hitting archetypal for Toronto successful that game, astatine slightest astatine the outset, was Chris Woodward, the Dodgers' existent first-base coach. Leading disconnected for the Dodgers was Dave Roberts, who went 0-for-4 against Halladay.

Before the season, my simulations gave this matchup a 2.28% accidental of happening, ranking 13th of 165 matchups that popped up successful astatine slightest 1 sim. But due to the fact that the Jays weren't forecast arsenic a favorite, and the AL figured to beryllium tightly packed (as turned retired to beryllium the case), determination were 8 different teams that faced the Dodgers much often successful the 10,000 simulated seasons, including the Mariners, whom the Jays conscionable vanquished successful the ALDS.

It's a caller Fall Classic matchup featuring teams with old-school traits. For the Dodgers, it has been a joyous leaning connected a ascendant starting rotation. For Toronto, it's a throwback discourtesy that features standout batting or, much precisely, each the traits that pb to what passes for a precocious mean successful 2025 baseball. All of this makes this archetypal Dodgers-Jays showdown a fascinating clash of teams with contrasting styles of play. The games statesman successful Toronto connected Friday. -- Doolittle

Toronto Blue Jays

Odds of winning: 40.4%

Team temperature: 93°

What is the No. 1 origin that has carried the Blue Jays to the World Series for the archetypal clip successful 3 decades?

Jorge Castillo: This 1 is easy. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been the champion subordinate successful this postseason -- and, yes, that includes Shohei Ohtani. Six months aft signing the third-largest declaration successful Major League Baseball history, Guerrero has played the portion of superstar successful October. He's slashing an absurd .442/.510/.930. He has 3 strikeouts each month. His six location runs tied the Blue Jays franchise grounds for postseason location runs successful a career. He has besides showcased bully defence astatine archetypal basal and smarts connected the basepaths.

For a feline who entered October with a downright disfigured October past -- helium slashed .136/.240/.182 without a location tally successful his archetypal six vocation playoff games -- Guerrero has enactment his stamp connected this postseason to transportation Toronto to its archetypal World Series successful 32 years. Four wins implicit the Dodgers, wit...