Om Brown's 2025 World Series Preview
- Om Brown
- Oct 24
- 6 min read
And just like that, we are down to two. The greatest championship series in all of sports is upon us. The best team in the American League will face off against the top squad from the National League, as the Toronto Blue Jays look to knock off the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who have won two of the last five titles. It's a shame how quick the postseason has gone, but there is truly nothing like the World Series. I hope this season’s Fall Classic goes the distance and provides many memorable moments. Without further ado, let’s break down what is in store for each team as we wind down October.
Each round, I will recap what happened in the previous one, as well as keep track of my official predictions that I had. For matchups themselves, I will have an outlook for each team, an X-Factor, projected pitching matchups, as well as who I think will win the series.
Championship Series Predictions Record: 2-0 (LAD, TOR - Correct)
Total Predictions Record: 9-1
Championship Series Recap:
Toronto Blue Jays Beat Seattle Mariners - 4-3:
The Jays and the M’s played a classic series, with big moments from both sides that saw the ALCS go to 7 games. Seattle jumped out to a 2-0 lead, taking the first two games in Toronto, but the Blue Jays evened the series out 2-2 after winning Games 3 and 4. In the 5th contest, Mariners 3B Eugenio Suarez hit a pair of homers, including the go-ahead grand slam that lifted them to the victory. The series went back to Canada, with the Mariners looking to win just one out of the next two, but their offense sputtered, losing both. In the decisive Game 7, playoff legend OF George Springer hit his 23rd career postseason homer, this one a 3-run shot to put the Jays ahead 4-3 in the 7th inning. Toronto’s pen held the lead, winning the game and the series. They will play in their first World Series in 32 years.
Los Angeles Dodgers Beat Milwaukee Brewers - 4-0:
The Dodgers pitching staff absolutely suffocated the Brewers’ explosive bats. LA’s arms gave up just a single run in all four contests, while their offense did enough to give their pitching some breathing room. LHP Blake Snell threw 8 innings in Game 1, and RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto did him one better, throwing a complete game in the second contest. The NLCS MVP was DH/P Shohei Ohtani. After having a combined 2 hits in the first trio of matchups, he exploded for a triumvirate of solo shots into the Los Angeles night of Game 4. Oh, and he got the win as the starting pitcher, throwing 6 shoutout innings, maneuvering traffic and punching out 10 Brewers. He single-handedly won them that game, and had one of the greatest performances of all time. Ohtani is the GOAT of baseball, and I can’t wait to see what he does on the biggest stage again.
World Series Preview:
Winner is the 2025 World Series Champion
Los Angeles’ Outlook: The Dodgers have been on a roll in these playoffs, losing just one game so far. Their starting pitching has been superb, headlined by LHP Blake Snell (0.86 ERA in 21 postseason innings), RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1.83 ERA in 19.2 postseason innings) and RHP Tyler Glasnow (0.68 ERA in 13.1 postseason innings). The LA bullpen was very shaky in the regular season, but have unleashed Japanese rookie sensation RHP Roki Sasaki (1.13 ERA, 3 SV in the postseason). He has helped stabilize the pen, which has been a big reason for their success in October. Their lineup, on the other hand, has struggled big time. The big three of DH/P Shohei Ohtani (.220 AVG in the postseason), SS Mookie Betts (0 HR in the postseason), and 1B Freddie Freeman (.231 AVG in the postseason) have not lived up to their talents. LA’s leader in batting average is INF/OF Kike Hernandez at a .306 clip. Yes, Ohtani had the big Game 4 in the NLCS with his 3 homers, but he has had a subpar October. If the Dodgers can get their superstars in the lineup going again, they will cruise to a second straight title.
Team X-Factor: 1B Freddie Freeman (.295 AVG, 24 HR, 90 RBI)
Freeman’s ability to get hits is still there, with his average being tied for 9th place in MLB during the regular season. The 2024 World Series MVP’s only RBI was on a solo home run in Game 1 of the NLCS. The LA offense desperately needs to get it going, and Freeman will be a key part of that turnaround.
Toronto’s Outlook: The Jays are coming off of an emotional rollercoaster of an ALCS, but will stay in Toronto, as they have home field advantage for the series. They get a huge boost with the return of SS Bo Bichette (.311 AVG in the regular season), who has been out since September 6th with a knee injury. The ALCS MVP, 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr (.442 AVG, 6 HR in the postseason), ripped a trio of longballs vs. Seattle. He will once again have to have an impressive series at the plate for Toronto. He does have help with OF George Springer (4 HR in the postseason), and 3B Ernie Clement (.429 AVG in the postseason). The lineup will need to consistently produce against an elite Dodgers staff. The Blue Jays will also need standout starting pitching, headlined by righties Kevin Gausman (2.00 ERA in 18 postseason innings) and rookie Trey Yesavage (22 K in 15 postseason innings). However, their season may hinge on the performances of veteran pitchers like RHP Shane Bieber (4.38 ERA in 12.1 postseason innings), and RHP Max Scherzer (5.2 innings, 2 ER in ALCS Game 4). Taming the Dodger bats isn’t an easy task, but the LA stars have been shut down for the most part this October. If the Jays can bring the title back to Canada, pitching will be the biggest reason why.
Team X-Factor: RHP Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA, 7 GS)
Bieber was my pick for Toronto’s X-Factor for the ALCS as well, and for good reason. He has to pitch well enough to take the pressure off of Gausman and the rookie Yesavage. He has started 3 games in this playoff run, but has thrown just 12.1 innings. He needs to give manager John Schneider a longer game vs. the talented Dodgers lineup, otherwise it could compromise the pen early in the series.
Probable Pitching Matchups:
Game 1 - LHP Blake Snell (LAD) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (TOR)
Game 2 - RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) vs. RHP Trey Yesavage (TOR)
Game 3 - RHP Tyler Glasnow (LAD) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (TOR)
Game 4 - RHP Shohei Ohtani (LAD) vs. RHP Shane Bieber (TOR)
Game 5 (if necessary) - LHP Blake Snell (LAD) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (TOR)
Game 6 (if necessary) - RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) vs. RHP Trey Yesavage (TOR)
Game 7 (if necessary) - RHP Tyler Glasnow (LAD) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (TOR)
Last Postseason Meeting: Never
Series Prediction: Dodgers win 4-1
I had the Dodgers as my preseason World Series pick. I am not going to divert from that. They are far and away the best team in MLB, even with their flaws and how vulnerable they looked this summer. They picked it up at the right time, and their pitching has been amazing. The only team that had a shot to take them down were the Phillies, but they failed to do so. As talented and deep as they are, I don’t think the Blue Jays have a chance in this series. While I would love to see Toronto win the title for Canada, it just won’t happen.
World Series MVP: DH/P Shohei Ohtani
This is another easy pick for me. Ohtani showed signs of being himself again at the plate vs. Milwaukee, and broke out of his slump in his historic Game 4 performance. He will be in the lineup every game and will likely have one start in the Fall Classic. If that game goes well, he will win this award by a landslide.
Final Thoughts:
While it is hard to believe that the postseason is almost over, I had a blast covering October baseball for the first time. The fan in me wants a 7 game series, but I am a realist, and the Dodgers will start a dynasty if they win. Once the Fall Classic concludes, we begin the painful almost 5 month long wait until the 2026 regular season, but my content won’t go anywhere. This fall and winter, I plan to continue my Red Sox coverage, finish up some projects from the summer which I am very excited about, as well as potentially return to the realm of college football once the College Football Playoff begins. While my writing for MLB will stop until next year after the World Series, continue to stop by the blog for not only my other work, but everyone else who creates content for House Enterprise!
Comments