MLB Fall Classic 2025: Dodgers vs Blue Jays opens in Toronto tonight — schedule, storylines, and the chess match to watch

The MLB Fall Classic 2025 begins tonight with Los Angeles vs. Toronto under the roof at Rogers Centre, a coast-to-coast showdown that pits a powerhouse lineup against an underdog on a heater. It’s the first World Series meeting between these franchises, and it starts in Canada thanks to Toronto’s superior regular-season record. Expect a loud building, a fast track, and a heavyweight contrast in styles.

World Series 2025 schedule (ET/BST)

All first-pitch times are scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET (1:00 a.m. BST). Dates and times remain subject to change.

Format is the traditional 2–3–2, with scheduled travel/off days after Games 2 and 5.

MLB Fall Classic 2025: why this matchup pops

• Star power, everywhere. The Dodgers bring a fearsome top of the order built around elite contact, plate discipline, and left-right balance. Toronto counters with thunder in the middle—Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in form—and a defense that turns contact into outs.

• Base-running vs. slug. Los Angeles manufactures edges with reads and jumps; Toronto’s path leans on slugging spikes and timely two-out hits.

• Bullpen identities. The Dodgers can go matchup-heavy with multiple swingmen who bridge the middle innings. The Blue Jays often shorten games by funneling to late-inning power, trusting ground-ball suppression behind an airtight infield.

Game 1 temperature check: levers that decide the opener

1. First-pitch strikes
   Both offenses crush mistakes. The staff that lives 0–1 avoids traffic and keeps the ball off the fat part of the plate. Watch early: if either starter is nibbling, patient top-of-order bats will force elevated counts by the second time through.

2. Defending the running game
   Los Angeles changes innings with steals and aggressive first-to-third reads. Toronto’s counter is quick exchanges and pitchouts to dissuade the secondary lead. A single caught stealing can erase a rally in a one-run script.

3. Balls in the air vs. the wall
   Rogers Centre rewards line drives; it punishes lazy fly balls. The team that backspins gap shots rather than chasing uppercut homers will stack doubles and crooked numbers.

4. Win the “middle eight.”
   The last four minutes of the 2nd and the first four of the 3rd time through the order—colloquially the middle eight outs for a starter—are where managers decide whether to ride an arm or turn it over. Expect a quick hook at the first whiff of hard contact.

Dodgers vs Blue Jays: matchup matrix

Three swing players for the Fall Classic

• Los Angeles: the No. 2 hitter. When the table-setter ahead of the superstar duo reaches, the No. 2’s swing decisions dictate whether the inning explodes or stalls. If that spot posts a .380+ OBP in the series, the math tilts West.

• Toronto: the corner outfielder with lift. The Jays need a second power source behind Guerrero Jr. who can punish mistakes to the pull side. One hot bat flips the leverage in road games.

• Los Angeles: the multi-inning bridge arm. In a dome, contact comes quick. A reliever who covers 4–6 outs cleanly prevents the parade of matchups and keeps the defense in rhythm.

Tactical notes for Game 1 viewers

• Dodgers vs. high fastballs. If Toronto climbs the ladder, look for Los Angeles to counter with opposite-field approaches and late-count line drives.

• Jays vs. spin. When the breaking stuff is landing early, Toronto’s plan is to spit on chase pitches until it leaks to the heart.

• Bunt/shuffle threats. With third basemen shaded deep, expect an early surprise bunt or drag attempt to test corner defense and draw infields in for later hard contact.

What each side needs to win the series

Dodgers

• Win first-pitch strike rate and the walks battle.

• Keep stolen-base efficiency high (≥75%) to stress Toronto’s catchers.

• Protect the ball in the field—this Jays lineup punishes extra outs.

Blue Jays

• Two-out RBI as a feature, not a bug.

• Get length from starters through at least 18–20 batters to avoid overexposure in the middle innings.

• Own the 7th–9th with power and ground-ball outs; when the late door slams, momentum carries to the next night.

The MLB Fall Classic 2025 begins with razor-thin margins and contrasting paths to four wins. If Los Angeles dictates tempo on the bases and grinds counts, the opener leans their way. If Toronto controls contact quality, steals an early lead, and hands it to the late crew, the dome turns into a fortress. First pitch is set for 8:00 p.m. ET—and the tone of the entire series may be set by the sixth inning tonight.