The Toronto Blue Jays made history on Monday, punching their ticket to their first World Series appearance in 32 years.
Whether you’re seeking to learn more about baseball, host a World Series viewing party or just have the desire to make small talk in regards to the Jays making a historic playoff run, listed here are some basics it is best to know.
Why is it called the ‘World Series’?
Ever wonder why they call it the “World Series” when the Toronto Blue Jays are the one non-American team currently energetic in Major League Baseball?
The primary-ever World Series was held in 1903 between the champions of the well-established National League and the upstart American League. The NL’s Pittsburgh Pirates faced the AL’s Boston Americans, known today because the Boston Red Sox.
Back then, the best-of-nine series wasn’t called the World Series, but as an alternative the “World’s Championship Games.” Over time, the name was whittled down and got here to be often called the World Series.
Apart from 1903 and between 1919 and 1921, the World Series has been played as a best-of-seven series.
How does the post-season bracket work?
In each of the 2 leagues, that are divided into East, Central and West, six teams make it to the post-season.
This includes three division winners and three wild card teams. The highest 4 teams in each division face off within the American League Division Series (ALDS) and the National League Division Series (NLDS).
That is followed by the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and National League Championship Series (NLCS), which is a best-of-seven matches between the highest two teams in each league.
The winners of the ALCS and the NLCS face one another within the World Series.
After posting a 94–68 win-loss record within the regular season — the fourth-best in the whole MLB in 2025 — the Jays qualified for a bye, which meant they didn’t should play within the wild-card series and will advance on to the ALDS.
There, they eventually faced off against 27-time World Series winners, the Latest York Yankees.
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The Jays wrapped up the best-of-five ALDS series against the Yankees in 4 games, winning 3-1 and advancing to the ALCS.
This arrange a showdown with west-coast frenemies, the Seattle Mariners, who had just come off a good 3-2 series win against the Detroit Tigers.
The Mariners are also a team that gets support from many Canadians within the West as a result of its proximity to Vancouver, B.C., and the Canadian border, and having Canadians playing on the team.
The ALCS was not without its share of drama; in the primary two games, it looked like Jays fans would see their dream end early. The Mariners won 3-1 in Game 1 and cruised to a 10-3 win in Game 2, each of which were played at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. It wasn’t looking good.
The Jays kept hopes alive by winning two back-to-back games on the road, but with a Mariners win in Game 5, Seattle was only one win away from booking their first-ever appearance on the World Series.
The Jays needed to win each remaining games because the series got here back to Toronto. The Jays took Game 6, making Game 7 a winner-take-all matchup.
The ultimate game was going Seattle’s way until the underside of the seventh inning, when the Jays’ George Springer, under pressure in an important game, hit a three-run home run that has already secured its place in Canadian sports history.
The enduring “Springer Dinger” put the Jays out front, clinching the team a spot within the 2025 World Series against the fearsome Los Angeles Dodgers, the champs of the NLCS.
This is barely the third time in franchise history that the Jays have made the World Series.
The last time was when the team won back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.
The closest they got here to the spot was during their last ALCS appearance in 2016, once they lost to Cleveland in five games, and in 2015, once they lost to Kansas City in six games.
Who’re they facing and when?
Game 1 of the 2025 World Series kicks off on Friday at 8 p.m. eastern on the Rogers Centre, followed by Game 2 at the identical venue on Saturday.
For Game 3 and Game 4, the Jays will hit the road to play at Dodger Stadium in L.A. on Oct. 27 and 28.
If vital, the teams will play Game 5 in L.A (Oct. 29) and Games 6 and Game 7 in Toronto on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
How good are the Dodgers?
The Dodgers are defending champions, going for a back-to-back title win.
While the Dodgers don’t have essentially the most World Series appearances — that title goes to the Latest York Yankees with 41 appearances — they’ve the second-most World Series appearances with 23. In addition they had the fifth-best win-loss record within the MLB this yr, one loss behind the Blue Jays.
Betting web sites have the Dodgers as heavy favourites, predicting that the team will win their ninth World Series title.
The Jays will open the series with a home-ground advantage, nonetheless, as their record was higher in the course of the regular season. And who doesn’t love an underdog?
Who’re the star players?
Shohei Ohtani made headlines in 2023 when he signed a US$700-million cope with the Dodgers. And the star player has definitely made his mark.
Ohtani won MVP for the National League last yr, when he became the primary player in MLB history to hit greater than 50 home runs and steal greater than 50 bases. And the Japanese sensation is in red-hot form this yr too.
Because the Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers — the most effective team overall within the regular 2025 season — within the NLCS, Ohtani hit three home runs in Game 4 and one even left the park.
If the Blue Jays are to beat the chances and win their third title, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. goes to want to should bring his best to the World Series. The Montreal-born hitter was awarded the ALCS MVP trophy on Monday night.
Guerrero Jr. was crucial within the Blue Jays’ efforts to force the Mariners into Game 7, hitting six home runs within the postseason and showcasing among the finest Blue Jays playoff performances of all time.