MLB Fall Classic 2025: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays — schedule, stakes, and storylines

The MLB Fall Classic 2025 arrives with a marquee matchup between the defending champions Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, who return to the World Series stage for the first time since the early 1990s. The series opens Friday, October 24 and features star power on both sides—Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman for Los Angeles against Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and George Springer for Toronto. Home field runs through Canada to start, and the path to a title runs through contrasting identities: the Dodgers’ pursuit of a repeat versus the Blue Jays’ hunt to end a decades-long wait.

MLB Fall Classic 2025 schedule (ET and UK time)

All start times are scheduled; subject to change.

*If necessary

Home/away pattern: Games 1–2 (Toronto), 3–5 (Los Angeles), 6–7 (Toronto).

Why this Fall Classic is different

A true power clash. Los Angeles returns with a loaded lineup and October-tested rotation. Toronto counters with a lineup that can change a game in one inning and a pitching staff that handled high-leverage innings throughout the postseason. The contrast in offensive styles—Dodgers’ on-base grind and situational power versus the Blue Jays’ bursts—could swing individual games more than usual.

Momentum vs. legacy. The Dodgers are attempting what no team has done since the turn of the millennium: go back-to-back. That quest adds pressure on every pitching change and late-inning at-bat. The Blue Jays, buoyed by a cathartic pennant run, lean on crowd energy at a roofed Rogers Centre that amplifies noise and neutralizes October weather.

Run prevention will decide it. Both clubs mash, so watch the margins: infield defense on hard-hit grounders, outfield routes on balls to the gaps, and catcher handling of elite velocity and splitters. The team that wins more “quiet” plays—double-play turns, relays, cutoffs—likely pockets two or three pivotal innings across the week.

Key storylines to follow

• Shohei Ohtani’s two-way impact (and usage). Even when limited as a pitcher, Ohtani changes how Toronto scripts bullpen usage. His plate discipline also forces longer at-bats that can lift pitch counts on Blue Jays starters.

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s damage window. Guerrero’s ability to punish mistakes early in counts has been a bellwether; if Los Angeles keeps him in the yard with elevated fastballs and late-breaking sliders, the Dodgers tilt leverage their way.

• Top-of-rotation chess. Expect aggressive hooks the first time trouble appears. Both managers have leaned on matchup-driven bullpen lanes; the first staff that navigates the middle innings without burning its highest-leverage arms gains a compounding advantage in Games 5–7.

• Baserunning pressure. The Dodgers manufacture runs with reads and first-to-third aggression. Toronto must limit free 90s; one extra base can flip a series game in one swing.

What’s confirmed and what’s developing

• Venue order and first-pitch window are set as listed above, with Toronto hosting the opener.

• Umpire crew for the series was locked in today by the league. Plate assignments for subsequent games typically rotate; expect the standard postseason pattern.

• Starting pitcher alignments for later games remain fluid and will be updated game to game based on workload and recovery.

How fans can follow the Fall Classic

Every game has a national broadcast and authenticated streaming options in the United States and Canada, with radio coverage available across both countries. International feeds carry the series in multiple languages. Check local listings and official platforms for your region; pregame coverage typically begins one hour before first pitch.

What it will take to win MLB Fall Classic 2025

• Win the contact-quality battle. Hard-hit rate and line-drive share often tell the truth when the series moves parks and time zones.

• Steal an off-day. With travel between Toronto and Los Angeles, recovery plans matter—ice, sleep, and bullpen conservation. The club that exits Game 4 freshest may control the stretch.

• Own the seventh through ninth. Championship baseball is a late-inning sport. The team that sequences strikeouts around inevitable hits—and avoids the one walk before the one mistake—will hoist the trophy.

First pitch is here. Two franchises with global followings, two cities ready to roar, and seven nights (at most) to crown a champion. The Fall Classic lives up to its name in 2025.