TORONTO — Of the 82 pitches Kevin Gausman threw in Game 2 of the World Series, almost all of them were either untouchable or produced no damage.
Yet two swings by Will Smith did, and that was the very narrow margin between Gausman and Los Angeles Dodgers stalwart Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as Smith’s go-ahead home run in the seventh inning broke up a fantastic pitching duel and Yamamoto pitched a four-hitter, lifting the Dodgers to an eventual 5-1 victory at Rogers Centre.
This World Series is now tied, 1-1, as the clubs flee Canada for the sunny climes of Los Angeles and the middle three games of seven. In squaring the Series, the Dodgers buried some of the demons from their Game 1 shellacking at the hands of the Blue Jays.
Yamamoto briefly followed in Game 1 starter Blake Snell’s footsteps, throwing 23 pitches in a high-stress first inning that resulted in no runs and a pair of Blue Jays stranded on base. Yet unlike Snell, Yamamoto did not wear any residual damage from hanging that zero: He gave up a game-tying sacrifice fly to Alejandro Kirk in the third inning, starting a string of 20 consecutive batters retired to finish the game.
On a night World Series walk-off legend Joe Carter threw out the first pitch and 44,607 fans at the Rogers Centre roared as the game remained 1-1, Yamamoto methodically rocked them to sleep – one night after the Blue Jays roared for 11 runs on 14 hits in an 11-4 Game 1 romp.
Yamamoto wasn’t having any of that. His pitch counts every subsequent inning after his sketchy first bordered on the absurd: 10, 13, six, eight, 11, eight and then 14 as he struck out the side in the eighth inning, unleashing every weapon in his arsenal: A curveball to set down Andrés Giménez, and then 96-mph fastballs to set down George Springer swinging, and Nathan Lukes looking.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers finally got to Gausman, as Max Muncy followed Smith out to left field two batters later, his opposite-field drive ending the right-handers night trailing 3-1. They tacked on two more runs off reliever Louis Varland in the eighth, giving Yamamoto space to complete his wizardry and keep the Dodgers bullpen idled.
The Dodgers stayed away from their weakness, and leaned into their strength: Yamamoto, who’s now led them to victory in seven of his eight postseason outings over two World Series runs.
– Gabe Lacques
Here’s how Game 2 unfolded in Toronto:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto dominates through eight, Dodgers up 5-2
Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth, sending Game 2 to the ninth inning with the Dodgers up 5-1. Yamamoto is at 93 pitches and Dave Roberts may send him back out to finish off a second consecutive complete game.
Dodgers tack on two in the eighth, lead 5-2
The Dodgers loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth against Louis Varland, who gave way to Jeff Hoffman with the Blue Jays trailing 3-1. Hoffman threw a wild pitch that brought Andy Pages in to score from third and make the Dodgers’ lead 4-1. After intentionally walking Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers got their fifth run across on Will Smith’s RBI groundout. It’s 5-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Will Smith, Max Muncy home runs finally break Gausman
TORONTO – Nearly six innings of perfection from Kevin Gausman got spoiled by one swing from Will Smith.
Smith hooked a full-count fastball just inside the left field foul net to snap a string of 17 consecutive batters retired. Two batters later, Max Muncy went to the same spot, but the opposite field, and dropped a solo homer into the Blue Jays bullpen, giving the Dodgers a 3-1 lead into the middle of the seventh in World Series Game 2.
Gausman and Dodgers counterpart Yoshinobu Yamamoto were locked in an epic standoff featuring two of the greatest split-finger fastballs in the game. Only Smith had gotten to Gausman: He provided an RBI single in the first, and then no Dodger reached base again until Smith’s one-out homer in the seventh.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, was touched for a third-inning sacrifice fly from Alejandro Kirk, starting his own string of 11 batters retired.
The question now: At just 59 pitches through six innings, can Yamamoto keep the porous Dodgers bullpen idled long enough for them to square the series, 1-1?
Kevin Gausman retires 16 in a row
Kevin Gausman retired Andy Pages, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in the top of the sixth and has now retired 16 straight batters since giving up a run-scoring single in the first inning.
Halfway through six, it’s still 1-1.
To the sixth: Dodgers 1, Blue Jays 1
Kevin Gausman hasn’t given up a hit since the first inning and is through five in Toronto, holding the Dodgers scoreless since the opening frame. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has four strikeouts in his five innings of work for the Dodgers.
Alejandro Kirk sac fly ties Game 2 in the third
Yoshinobu Yamamoto hit George Springer to lead off the bottom of the third and with one out, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drilled a ball off the left-field wall that got Springer to third. Alejandro Kirk followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, tying the game 1-1 at Rogers Centre.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pulls off first-inning Houdini
TORONTO – Once again, the legends are out and the vibes are electric at Rogers Centre. And down on the field, World Series Game 2 is taking on the feel of hand-to-hand combat.
For the second consecutive night, the Los Angeles Dodgers struck first, as Will Smith’s RBI single off Kevin Gausman gave them a 1-0 lead after one inning.
Yet while the Dodgers tallied single runs in the second and third inning of Game 1, a high-stress first inning in which Blake Snell threw 29 pitches eventually came back to haunt them.
So far, the script has held in Game 2.
The Blue Jays put runners on first and third with nobody out and, although starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto punched out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts, he needed 23 pitches to do it.
Both George Springer – who hit a leadoff double – and Vlaidimir Guerrero Jr. fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches and Daulton Varsho took Yamamoto to a full count before striking out looking to end the inning.
So, the Dodgers drew first blood. But will it once again be a Pyrrhic victory?
Dodgers take first-inning lead
After Freddie Freeman doubled with two outs against Kevin Gausman in the top of the first, Dodgers catcher Will Smith lashed a single up the middle to score the game’s first run.
Freeman’s double came on the eighth pitch of his at-bat, extending the inning to bring All-Star Smith to the plate.
Dodgers lineup today
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mookie Betts (R) SS
Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
Will Smith (R) C
Teoscar Hernández (R) RF
Max Muncy (L) 3B
Enrique Hernández (R) LF
Tommy Edman (S) 2B
Andy Pages (R) CF
Blue Jays lineup today
George Springer (R) DH
Nathan Lukes (L) LF
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
Alejandro Kirk (R) C
Daulton Varsho (L) CF
Ernie Clement (R) 3B
Addison Barger (L) RF
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) 2B
Andrés Giménez (L) SS
Yoshinobu Yamamoto stats vs Blue Jays
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a 2.82 ERA in seven career postseason starts and a 1.83 ERA in three starts in the 2025 playoffs. Last time out,the right-hander tossed a complete game in Game 2 of the NLCS, giving up just three hits in the Dodgers’ win.
‘He is so focused right now, it’s going to be a fun night for him,’ catcher Will Smith said before Game 2. ‘I have high expectations for him as always.’
Dodgers World Series roster 2025
Pitchers (12): LHP Anthony Banda, LHP Jack Dreyer, RHP Tyler Glasnow, RHP Edgardo Henriquez, LHP Clayton Kershaw, RHP Will Klein, RHP Roki Sasaki, RHP Emmet Sheehan, LHP Blake Snell, RHP Blake Treinen, LHP Justin Wrobleski, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Position, two-way players (14): SS Mookie Betts, OF Alex Call, OF Justin Dean, INF/OF Tommy Edman, 1B Freddie Freeman, INF/OF Kiké Hernández, OF Teoscar Hernández, INF/OF Hyeseong Kim, 3B Max Muncy, DH/P Shohei Ohtani, OF Andy Pages, INF Miguel Rojas, C Ben Rortvedt, C Will Smith.
Blue Jays World Series roster
Pitchers (12): RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Shane Bieber, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, RHP Braydon Fisher, LHP Mason Fluharty, RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP Jeff Hoffman, LHP Eric Lauer, LHP Brendon Little, RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Louis Varland, RHP Trey Yesavage.
Position players (14): C Tyler Heineman, C Alejandro Kirk, INF/OF Addison Barger, INF Bo Bichette, INF Ernie Clement, INF Ty France, INF Andrés Giménez, INF Vladimir Guerrero Jr., INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa, OF Nathan Lukes, OF Davis Schneider, OF George Springer, OF Myles Straw, OF Daulton Varsho.
World Series announcers
Joe Davis, play-by-play
John Smoltz, color commentary
Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci, dugout reporters
2025 World Series umpires
MLB announced the umpires and full schedule for the crew chosen to call this year’s World Series. Mark Wegner has been designated as crew chief for the first time. It’s his third World Series overall overall during a 25-year career.
Here’s how the umpires will line up for Game 2:
Home plate: Adrian Johnson
First base: John Tumpane
Second base: Alan Porter (crew chief)
Third base: Adam Hamari
Left field: Jordan Baker
Right field: Will Little
Reserve: Mark Wegner
World Series national anthems for Game 2
Bebe Rexha is performing the American national anthem before Game 2 in Toronto while Alessia Cara is singing the Canadian anthem.
World Series schedule 2025
Game 1: Blue Jays 11, Dodgers 4
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25 in Toronto – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27 in Los Angeles – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28 in Los Angeles – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
*Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Los Angeles – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
*Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31 in Toronto – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
*Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 1 in Toronto – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
World Series winners by year
2024: Dodgers
2023: Rangers
2022: Astros
2021: Braves
2020: Dodgers
2019: Nationals
2018: Red Sox
2017: Astros
2016: Cubs
2015: Royals
2014: Giants
2013: Red Sox
2012: Giants
2011: Cardinals
2010: Giants
How many times have the Dodgers won the World Series?
The Dodgers have won eight World Series titles in franchise history – one in Brooklyn and seven in Los Angeles
1955 vs. Yankees
1959 vs. White Sox
1963 vs. Yankees
1965 vs. Twins
1981 vs. Yankees
1988 vs. Athletics
2020 vs. Rays
2024 vs. Yankees
Blue Jays World Series appearances
Toronto won back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 (vs. Braves) and 1993 (vs. Phillies), the only times in franchise history the club has reached the Fall Classic since coming into existence in 1977.
When did the Dodgers move to LA?
The Dodgers left Brooklyn after the 1957 season, playing their first game in Los Angeles in 1958.
The Giants departed New York for San Francisco at the same time, bringing the historic rivalry to the West Coast.
Did Vladimir Guerrero win a World Series?
Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero never won a World Series title, making his only Fall Classic appearance for the Texas Rangers in 2010, the penultimate of his 16-year MLB career.