It’s a big Los Angeles Dodgers versus Toronto Blue Jays showdown in the World Series. With LMU being located in LA, which way do students think the Series will go?
The 2025 World Series opened with a split 1-1 record in Toronto, and now it’s coming to Los Angeles with a level playing field. Toronto took Game 1, 11-4, behind a nine-run sixth inning. The Dodgers answered in Game 2, 5-1, on a complete-game gem from Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The World Series is Major League Baseball’s (MLB) championship, a best-of-seven; the first team to four wins takes the title. This year, it’s the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers versus the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays. After two games in Canada, the series shifts to Dodger Stadium on Monday, Oct. 27 for Game 3.
Janai Williams, asst. sports editor:
Not to play devil’s advocate here, but I’m going to give it to the Toronto Blue Jays. While it’s definitely not going to be an easy feat for the Blue Jays, I think having one win under their belt has given them confidence heading into the rest of the series. I do think with the next few games being at Dodgers Stadium, Toronto is definitely at a huge disadvantage. The Dodgers have been 57-30 at home this season, proving that they perform their best at home field. But, the Blue Jays may be going into this series with a fire under them and something to prove. It’s been reported that Shohei Ohtani, a key factor of the Dodgers’ success, was initially considering joining the Blue Jays’ roster before the Dodgers swooped in with an offer he couldn’t refuse. As someone from New Jersey with no loyalties to either team, I can’t help but root for an underdog story.
Riya Kalra, sports intern:
Born and raised in LA, I’m obviously riding with the Dodgers — no surprise there. I’m not a baseball expert, but even I can feel how different this team is when the lights are brightest. Game 1 was rough, but Game 2 felt like Dodger baseball: throw strikes, make plays and let the bats find a big moment. With the series tied 1-1 and coming to Vin Scully Avenue, the energy in this city — and on campus — is about to be ridiculous. Ohtani just changes the vibe — every at-bat feels like a hold-your-breath moment — and when guys like Will Smith or Max Muncy get hot, it snowballs in a good way for us. From here, I’m looking for Tyler Glasnow to establish the zone early — hitters managed just 0.175 against him in the first innings this season — then the bullpen to close and one decisive inning to swing it. Toronto is legit, but the Dodgers’ depth, crowd and poise under pressure make them my pick to get to four first.
With LMU located in LA, it’s no surprise that students lean heavily toward the Dodgers; the local star power is hard to ignore. Whether born and raised in LA like Edgardo Gomez, a civil engineering major, or new to the city like Cat Running, a political science major, the Lions are loud about backing the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have such a huge impact on LA culture with fans ranging from casual watchers to super fans. Shohei Ohtani, in only his second season with the team, has garnered a massive fanbase that is excited to watch his performances throughout the series.
Gomez, a LA local who has been a Dodgers fan since childhood, growing up and watching games with his father, was proudly spotted wearing a bright blue Dodgers hoodie.
“Of course, Dodgers in four,” said Gomez. The key to the team’s success, Gomez believes, is their designated hitter Ohtani. “That’s why we pay him.”
Ohtani just finished a regular season with 55 home runs and a 1.014 OPS (On-base Plus Slugging), and throughout October he’s added six postseason homers — production that keeps him in every conversation about momentum swings.
On the flip side, Running, a more casual watcher, is supporting the Dodgers due to local affinity as well as her hometown team of the Seattle Mariners downfall against the Blue Jays earlier in the League Championship Series.
“Well, I live in LA now, so I gotta say the Dodgers,” said Running. She also acknowledges her vendetta against the Blue Jays swaying her opinion saying “[Seattle Mariners loss] is a little embarrassing … maybe I’ll just be a [Dodgers] fan now.”
Even with the local tilt, students are recognizing Toronto’s threat.
Kylie Herberth, a biology major, foreshadowed a split series saying “Dodgers in seven.”
Similarly to Gomez, she also agrees that the series is heavily dependent on Ohtani. “Ohtani’s the MVP — he’s the difference,” said Herberth.
The Blue Jays are definitely the under dogs of this series according to some students on campus.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is leading the Blue Jays championship charge as a player to keep an eye on.
The Jays’ Game 1 showed how fast their lineup can change a night, especially when extra baserunners pile up before one big swing.
The Blue Jays overturned a 2-0 Dodgers lead with a historic burst, highlighted by Addison Barger’s first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. Alejandro Kirk added a two-run homer as the Jays won 11-4 and grabbed a 1-0 series lead.
Barger’s grand slam and the ninth-run sixth were the clearest examples yet. For newer viewers, that’s a simple equation to watch for: Don’t let a lot of Blue Jays reach base before their best hitters come up.
Some LMU students, such as Paige Solka, a film and television production major, didn’t see such a stellar game in the cards for the Blue Jays, not even predicting for the Toronto team to end the series with a singular game under their belt.
“Dodgers. Clean sweep — four,” said Solka, prior to the start of the series.
Game 2 flipped the tone. Yamamoto threw the first World Series complete game since 2015, retiring the 20 final batters he faced. The offense arrived late: Smith and Muncy hit back-to-back solo homers in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win. Series, tied.
From a matchup standpoint, Game 2 also offered a plain-English lesson in how the Dodgers win: starting pitching that throws strikes, defense that converts plays and timely home runs. Yamamoto’s command and pace gave LA a stress-free finish, and Smith’s seventh-inning blast turned a close game into a comfortable one. For casual viewers, that pattern — a quality start and one big inning — is the straightforward Dodgers path.
While Smith, Muncy and Yamamoto have proven to be difference makers in the series so far, students are still counting on Ohtani to pull out some quality performances at the upcoming home games in LA.
“I’m not really a baseball fan, but I know Ohtani — he’s going crazy,” said Sule Osamudiamen, a graduate student, who picked the Dodgers in five.
The immediate question is what happens back in LA. Game 3 is set for Dodger Stadium with Max Scherzer going for Toronto and Tyler Glasnow for LA — a veteran with World Series mileage versus a power right-hander who can dominate when he’s around the zone. Expect a simpler viewing key: If Glasnow lands early strikes and keeps the ball in the park, the Dodgers can lean on their bullpen plan at home; if not, Toronto’s top hitters will bat with runners on base.
Two games in, LMU’s pulse is decidedly Dodger blue, but the series hasn’t crowned anyone. Toronto’s opener was loud and historic; LA’s response was clean and convincing. With the next three on Chavez Ravine, campus lounges and watch parties will get louder — and the prediction receipts are already printed.
If Ohtani keeps slugging and the Dodgers’ starters throw strikes early, the shorter picks might age well. If Toronto strings traffic again and one big swing lands late, this could stretch all the way to the seventh night.
Either way, the World Series just became a best-of-five in LA.