Press enter or click to view image in full sizeFreddie Freeman’s 18th-inning, walk-off homer in Game 3 of the World Series sealed the Dodgers’ fifth comeback postseason victory.
by Megan Garcia
Comebacks were part of the Dodgers’ DNA in 2025. And it carried over into their October run.
The Dodgers led the National League with 48 comeback wins. Only the Blue Jays had more come-from-behind wins (49) than the Dodgers did in the regular season. So, it was fitting that the two best comeback teams in baseball battled one another in the World Series.
Six of the Dodgers’ 13 postseason victories were comebacks — the most of any postseason team since the 2020 World Series champion Dodgers.
A comeback also helped them end the 2024 season as World Series champions. The Dodgers trailed the Yankees by five runs in Game 5 through the fourth, until they staged a five-run comeback in the fifth. They went on to win 7–6 in the title-clinching game.
Press enter or click to view image in full sizeMookie Betts’ sacrifice fly in the seventh gave the Dodgers a 6–5 lead in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
Their quest to become back-to-back champs started with a come-from-behind win during the season opener in Tokyo. The Dodgers overtook the Cubs’ 1–0 lead with three runs in the fifth inning in an eventual 4–1 victory.
One of their most pivotal comebacks of the regular season happened on Aug. 24 against the Padres. It was the final game between them, and it was a battle for first place in the NL West. The Padres had a 2–1 lead through the fifth until Freddie Freeman tied it in the sixth with a homer.
Then, the offense came to life in the seventh with five runs. Dalton Rushing hit a go-ahead, three-run homer and Freeman clubbed his second of the game. Shohei Ohtani added insurance with a solo homer in the ninth.
Press enter or click to view image in full sizeDalton Rushing is celebrated by Teoscar Hernández for his go-ahead homer on Aug. 24 against the Padres. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
The Dodgers beat the Padres 8–2. But most importantly, they tied the Padres for first place in the division. After that day, the Dodgers never fell out of first. San Diego, however, finished three games behind them in second.
Pulling off comebacks was equally as crucial in the postseason.
They punched their ticket to the NL Division Series with a comeback against the Reds in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series.
It’s how they set the tone for the series against the Phillies. The Dodgers went from trailing 3–0 to beating the Phillies 5–3 in Game 1, with Teoscar Hernández providing a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh.
Press enter or click to view image in full sizeHyeseong Kim scored the winning run in Game 4 of the NLDS to send the Dodgers the NLCS. It was the third comeback postseason victory for the Dodgers. (Carrie Giordano/Los Angeles Dodgers)
The Brewers experienced the comeback power in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series. Their 1–0 lead vanished by a two-run second inning by Los Angeles.
The Dodgers had to fight their way to a pair of comebacks in the World Series against the Blue Jays. The first ended with Freeman’s walk-off homer in the 18th inning of Game 3.
And finally, the comeback that made the 2025 title possible.
They slowly chipped away at Toronto’s lead in Game 7. Max Muncy put the Dodgers within one run with his homer in the eighth. Then, Miguel Rojas — who was making his second start in the World Series — tied it in the ninth with a home run.
The Dodgers eventually took a 5–4 lead with Will Smith’s home run in the 11th inning.