Toronto, October 25, 2025 — In a stunning display of offensive firepower, the Toronto Blue Jays exploded for nine runs in the sixth inning to defeat the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Centre. This victory marks Toronto’s first World Series appearance since 1993 and gives them a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The game started as a pitcher’s duel, with Dodgers starter Blake Snell holding the Blue Jays hitless through the first three innings. Los Angeles jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, scoring one run in the second on a series of singles and adding another in the third via a ground-ball single from Will Smith. Blue Jays rookie starter Trey Yesavage kept the damage limited despite using 71 pitches through three innings.
Toronto tied the game in the fourth when catcher Alejandro Kirk singled, followed by outfielder Daulton Varsho’s two-run homer off Snell — the first home run Snell had allowed to a left-handed batter since June 2024. Varsho, who hit just two of his 20 regular-season homers against lefties, provided the spark that ignited the Blue Jays’ comeback.
The sixth inning will go down in history as “The Inning” for Blue Jays fans. With the score knotted at 2-2, Toronto sent 13 batters to the plate and scored nine runs — the second-most in a single World Series inning, behind only the 10-run outbursts by the 1968 Detroit Tigers and 1929 Philadelphia Athletics. The rally began with Bo Bichette drawing a walk in his return from a knee injury, marking his first career start at second base to optimize the lineup. Kirk singled, Varsho was hit by a pitch, and Ernie Clement’s bases-loaded single chased Snell from the game, making it 3-2.
Reliever Emmet Sheehan couldn’t stem the tide, walking Nathan Lukes to force in a run and allowing Andrés Giménez to single in another, pushing the lead to 5-2. Then came the moment of the night: pinch-hitter Addison Barger, subbing for Davis Schneider, crushed a grand slam off lefty Anthony Banda — the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. Barger’s blast, his first homer against a lefty this season, ballooned the score to 9-2 and sent the sold-out crowd into a frenzy.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed with a single, and Kirk capped the inning with a two-run homer, his second hit of the frame, to make it 11-2. The Dodgers managed two runs in the seventh on Shohei Ohtani’s two-run homer — his fourth in the last two games — but it wasn’t enough to mount a serious threat.
Standout performances abounded for Toronto. Barger, the 25-year-old rookie, etched his name in the record books with four RBIs on his grand slam. Varsho and Kirk each contributed multiple hits and RBIs, while George Springer added two hits to the effort. On the mound, the Blue Jays’ bullpen preserved the lead without taxing their high-leverage arms.
For the Dodgers, who suffered only their second postseason loss, Snell was charged with five runs despite a strong start. Ohtani provided the lone bright spot offensively in the late innings. Los Angeles now looks to even the series in Game 2 on Saturday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto facing off against Toronto’s Kevin Gausman at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The Blue Jays’ depth and resilience shone through, proving they can compete with the star-studded Dodgers. As Toronto celebrates this opener, the series promises more drama ahead.
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