World Series 2025: Dodgers–Blue Jays Opens Tonight With Blake Snell vs. Rookie Trey Yesavage

The Fall Classic returns to Toronto this evening with a marquee pitching contrast: a decorated left-hander for Los Angeles opposite a fast-rising rookie for the Blue Jays. First pitch for World Series 2025 Game 1 is set for 8:00 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre, launching a best-of-seven between two lineups stacked with star power and late-inning drama.

Game 1 pitching: Snell’s big-stage groove vs. Yesavage’s rapid ascent

Los Angeles hands the ball to Blake Snell, whose October form has been outstanding—deep starts, high strikeout totals, and minimal damage despite elite opposing lineups. The plan is familiar: early fastball command to set up a sweeping arsenal that changes eye levels and neutralizes right-handed power. When Snell gets ahead, his chase pitches play; when he falls behind, the Dodgers trust their framing and infield defense to erase traffic.

Toronto counters with Trey Yesavage, a 22-year-old right-hander who climbed multiple levels this season and earned postseason trust with whiffs up in the zone and a confident secondary mix. He has shown poise in noisy moments and an ability to carry stuff into the fifth and sixth innings—crucial against a patient Dodgers order that forces long counts. For the Blue Jays, the early script is simple: ride Yesavage’s adrenaline while keeping a quick hook ready if pitch count or command wobble.

World Series 2025 schedule and format

All games are scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. Home-field advantage flips after the first two in Toronto.

*If necessary. Schedule subject to change.

Key storylines for Dodgers vs. Blue Jays

1) Patience vs. pressure. Los Angeles thrives on grinding at-bats—spoiling two-strike pitches, drawing walks, and waiting for a mistake they can elevate. Toronto’s counter is contact authority early in counts and pressure on the basepaths to disrupt rhythm.

2) Right-handed thump vs. left-handed craft. Snell’s success hinges on softening righty barrels from the heart of Toronto’s order. Expect a heavy mix of elevated fastballs paired with glove-side breakers to keep pull power off balance.

3) Blue Jays’ rookie bet. Deploying a young starter in Game 1 signals confidence in stuff, not résumé. If Yesavage lands first-pitch strikes and gets his slider over early, he can speed up bats and open the high fastball for putaways. Shorter leashes in October mean the bullpen must be ready by the third inning.

4) Bullpen chess. Both teams can run multiple late-inning looks—power sinkers, sweepers, and splitters—allowing managers to optimize matchups. The team that avoids showing its best relief arms too early gains an edge later in the series.

Projected lineups and matchup levers

Dodgers (road): Patient top three with elite bat-to-ball skills, followed by middle-order sluggers who punish mistakes over the plate. Look for early hit-and-run feints and selective steals only when reads are clean; the priority remains pitch count and traffic.

Blue Jays (home): Right-handed power core built around gap-to-gap contact and the ability to backspin to center. The plan against Snell: ambush strikes in the zone before he gets to chase counts, then elevate launch on anything middling.

Defensive swing factors: Toronto’s corner outfield routes on balls in the gap and Los Angeles’ infield exchanges on double-play turns. One extra out per night often decides a tight World Series game.

The margins that decide Game 1

• First 15 pitches for each starter. If Snell starts with strike one and avoids early walks, he can carry into the middle innings. If Yesavage’s first time through is efficient, Toronto can map an aggressive bullpen script later.

• Two-out RBIs. Both clubs excel at extending innings; the team that cashes two-out runners once or twice typically wins the opener.

• Baserunning discipline. With replay tightening calls, straight steals require elite jumps. Look for first-to-third reads and dirtball scrambles instead of high-risk attempts.

What’s next in World Series 2025

Game 2 arrives quickly on Saturday night, with Toronto weighing veteran options for the start while Los Angeles lines up depth behind Snell. The travel day shifts the series to Dodger Stadium for Games 3–5, where marine air and outfield dimensions subtly change batted-ball profiles. By then, we’ll know whether tonight’s opener tilts the chessboard—or simply sets the stage for a long, volatile classic.

For now, all eyes are on World Series 2025 Game 1: a Cy Young-winning craftsman versus a fearless newcomer in a raucous dome, with two fan bases hungry to seize the first break of October’s final act.