With the League Championship Series all but over, the 2025 MLB season is slowly coming to an end. There is but one exciting game before the World Series starts, as the Los Angeles Dodgers are waiting for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners to play their Game 7. Tied at 3-3, October 21 will give us the second finalist, the team that will attempt to take the title from LA and prevent them from making it two in a row. That, however, will be a tall task. Considering how well the Dodgers have been playing, and what their two way MVP, Shohei Ohtani, has been doing recently, it seems improbable that the team can lose. Making it two in a row would usher in a new dynasty in the storied history of LA sports, and baseball fans in California will be ecstatic.
The buildup to the 2025 World Series has been a treat in itself. While the ultimate matchup is the epitome of the season and the showdown for the prestigious Commissioner’s Trophy, games leading up to it have also been exciting and full of great performances. Both the Division Series and the League Championship Series delivered, and while we count down to the start of the Dodgers vs either Blue Jays or Mariners, it is time to analyze everything that came before. For the fans of sports wagering, expert betting picks and predictions for the MLB World Series begin and end with looking back and evaluating the teams’ and players’ chances of performing well.
How The Teams Got Here
Let us start with the teams still hoping to get to the World Series. Game 7 is said to be the best two words in American sports, and that truly carries a lot of weight. The Blue Jays entered as the AL East champions and faced the Yankees in the ALDS. Toronto dispatched New York 3-1, taking control early. On the other side, the Mariners, as the AL West champ, edged the Tigers 3-2 in a tightly contested series. This meant the two teams would meet up next. In the ALCS, the Blue Jays and Mariners have battled to a 3-3 stalemate, forcing a decisive Game 7.
Seattle remains in pursuit of its first ever World Series berth, while Toronto seeks its first since 1993. Toronto’s Game 6 win (6-2) featured a key homer from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., his sixth of the postseason, and strong relief work, while Seattle’s defensive miscues weighed heavily. Thus, one of these two will emerge to claim the AL pennant and face the Dodgers. Who wants it more, and can they do anything against the Hollywood team if they face them? The odds favor the Blue Jays with 1.80 odds to take the decisive game over the Mariners with 2.07 odds.
The Dodgers’ Path to Another Final
Speaking of the defending champions, how did they fare on their road to their second consecutive World Series? In the National League, the Dodgers entered via the Wild Card Series and beat the Phillies 3-1 in the NLDS. Then in the NLCS, they swept the Milwaukee Brewers, clinching with a dominant 5-1 win in Game 4 in what was the best performance of the reigning (and probably soon to be repeat) MVP, Shohei Ohtani. But more on that later.
In Game 1, starter Blake Snell struck out 10 over eight shutout innings to set the tone. Then in Game 4, star two way player Shohei Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings with ten strikeouts and hit three home runs, the first time in MLB postseason history a pitcher achieved three homers and double digit strikeouts in the same game. Los Angeles now awaits the AL champion and has momentum behind it, riding dominant pitching and their two way superstar. Their willpower to win another title will probably be insurmountable for their opponent, whoever it may be. The MLB World Series Sportsbook has the LA Dodgers at 1.47 to win another title, regardless of who they face in the World Series.
What the World Series Could Look Like
For Toronto, a matchup with the Dodgers offers a clash of offensive power (Toronto has top bats) against two way wizardry and pitching depth from Los Angeles. The Blue Jays would bring a high octane lineup and attempt to keep pace with the Dodgers’ rotation and bullpen. If Toronto wins Game 7 and reaches the World Series, they would face a team that showed dominance in the NLCS and carries fewer questions into the Fall Classic. On paper, they seem like the tougher opponent for the defending champs, but that does not have to mean anything at this stage.
For Seattle, the significance is perhaps even greater. If the Mariners make it past Game 7, it would be their first World Series appearance in franchise history, automatically resulting in their best season ever. The whole team and the staff go down in history, whatever happens next. Therein lies the trouble, though, because what if they settle for that and their motivation takes a hit? Facing the Dodgers would mean proving themselves against one of the league’s most complete rosters and one of its most unique talents. For the Mariners, it would be historic just to get there, while beating the Dodgers would cement a long awaited breakthrough and the best day ever for the fans.
For the Dodgers, whichever team emerges from the AL, the matchup gives them the opportunity for back to back championships. No team has won two in a row, not since the NY Yankees, whom they beat last year, had a threepeat between 1998 and 2000. LA has shown readiness by dominant starting pitching, the rare two way excellence of Ohtani, and the confidence of rolling through the NL. Their sweep of the Brewers speaks volumes, especially when the other matchup went to 7 games. Their challenge is to maintain that form, adjust to whichever AL opponent comes through, and avoid complacency.
Overall, the bracket has aligned so that the Dodgers are already in the driver’s seat. Meanwhile, the AL side is still undecided, and whichever team emerges will face a very formidable foe. Expect a World Series that pits pitching and balance (Dodgers) versus offense and historic motivations (Blue Jays or Mariners). As for the odds, the exclusive promotion on the MLB World Series has many bets to offer, with Guerrero Jr. leading the MVP odds with 1.91. He is followed by Caleb Raleigh with 5.00 and Eugenio Suarez with 7.50. Without any surprise, Ohtani is the frontrunner for the World Series MVP with 3.00. Behind him are Guerrero Jr., Caleb Raleigh, and Freddie Freeman with 10.00 odds each.
Ohtani’s Incredible Performance
In Game 4 of the 2025 NL Championship Series (NLCS) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and 3/3 hits with three home runs in the same game. His performance clinched the series for the Dodgers, and he was named the NLCS MVP. Analysts are comparing the game to some of the greatest single game performances in sports history, given his unique two way dominance (pitching + hitting) at such a high level. His night of three home runs and ten strikeouts was not just a show of dominance but a crystallization of his unprecedented duality as a player.
In the modern era of specialization, where pitchers and hitters occupy entirely separate realms, Ohtani has shattered convention. The ability to excel simultaneously on both sides of the game at an MVP level invites comparisons not only to Babe Ruth but to the very concept of baseball greatness itself. No pitcher in MLB postseason history had combined three home runs and double digit strikeouts in the same game until now. To top it all off, this was a high stakes, series clinching game. Delivering such a performance under pressure amplifies how special it is. He’s already been one of the most unique players of this era, and performances like this enhance that status.
Can Shohei Ohtani Become the Best Baseball Player Ever?
Since he arrived in MLB, Ohtani has accumulated accolades that few players achieve even in a lifetime. So far, he has multiple MVP awards, record breaking offensive seasons, and elite pitching metrics despite intermittent injuries. Now, as a World Series champion and likely two time titleholder should the Dodgers prevail again, Ohtani’s résumé would rival the most complete in baseball history. Stake.com has all the latest odds of that happening, so be sure to check it out. What distinguishes him is not just statistical excellence but the dual nature of it. Whereas players like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Barry Bonds dominated offensively, and others like Sandy Koufax and Pedro Martínez did so from the mound, Ohtani combines both skill sets at a near historic peak.
Babe Ruth remains the closest historical parallel. Ruth began as a dominant pitcher before transforming into the sport’s most prolific slugger, but his two way dominance did not occur simultaneously. Ohtani, by contrast, is achieving Ruthian feats in an era of advanced analytics, international competition, and unprecedented athletic parity. Against the backdrop of players like Mays, who embodied all around brilliance, or Ted Williams, who defined hitting precision, Ohtani’s hybrid excellence redefines what “the best ever” can mean.
If Ohtani leads the Dodgers to another championship and sustains his production for several more seasons, his claim to the title of greatest baseball player ever becomes difficult to dispute. Greatness in baseball has often been measured by sustained dominance in one area. Ohtani’s legacy, however, could rest on mastery of two. In that sense, he is not merely extending baseball history but rewriting its boundaries. He would be the sole player who managed to do this. At 31 years old and in his prime, the Japanese superstar has a lot of baseball left in him. In only his second season with the Dodgers, following a 2018-2023 stint with the LA Angels, he already made two World Series appearances. There is no saying what he can do next.
World Series FAQs and Facts
- What is the World Series?
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, played between the winners of the American League (AL) and National League (NL). It’s a best of seven series to determine the overall MLB champion. - When did the first World Series take place?
The first official World Series was played in 1903, between the Boston Americans (now Red Sox) and the Pittsburgh Pirates, with Boston winning five games to three. - Why is it called the “World” Series if only U.S. and Canadian teams play?
Despite its name, the World Series only features teams from MLB, which includes franchises in the U.S. and Canada. The name “World Series” originated as a marketing term, MLB was (and remains) the premier professional baseball league in the world. - Has the World Series ever been canceled?
Yes, most notably in 1994, when a players’ strike led to the cancellation of the postseason and World Series for the first time in 90 years. - Which team has won the most World Series titles?
The New York Yankees hold the record with 27 championships, far more than any other team. - Home Field Advantage
Home field advantage alternates yearly between leagues now, but it used to be determined by the outcome of the All Star Game from 2003-2016. - Longest Game
The longest World Series game by time occurred in 2018, Game 3 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox lasted 7 hours and 20 minutes over 18 innings. - Perfect Games Are Extremely Rare
Only one perfect game has ever been thrown in World Series history by Don Larsen of the Yankees in 1956. - Wild Card Winners Have Succeeded Too
Several teams that entered the playoffs as wild cards (non division winners) have gone on to win the World Series, including the 2003 Marlins and 2019 Nationals. - Biggest Underdog Win
The 1969 “Miracle Mets” are one of the most famous underdog stories coming from last place the previous season to win the World Series over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles.
