News Summary
The 2025 World Series kicks off in Toronto with a thrilling matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. This marks the Blue Jays’ first appearance in the Series since 1993, creating high stakes for both teams. Major League Baseball reports a significant boost in postseason viewership, reaching remarkable highs, demonstrating the global appeal of the sport. With the Dodgers vying for back-to-back championships, and the Blue Jays on a resurgence, this World Series promises to be captivating.
The 2025 World Series is set to begin in Toronto as the defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, face off against the Toronto Blue Jays. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday night at 8:00 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. This clash marks the Blue Jays’ first trip to the World Series since 1993 and poses a major challenge for both teams as they vie for baseball’s ultimate title.
As anticipation builds for the matchup, Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason viewership has experienced a significant boost. The postseason is currently averaging 4.48 million viewers per game in the United States, reflecting a 13% increase from the previous year and marking the highest viewership since 2017. The American League Championship Series (ALCS) Game 7 between the Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners attracted an impressive 15.03 million viewers across the U.S. and Canada, establishing it as the most-watched ALCS game since 2017.
For perspective, this high-stakes ALCS matchup drew 9.03 million viewers through various FOX platforms in the U.S., alongside setting a record for the Blue Jays with an average of 6 million viewers on Sportsnet in Canada. The cumulative average for the ALCS across both countries reached 9.39 million viewers, a remarkable 60% increase from the average of 5.88 million last year.
During this postseason, the Dodgers have also achieved notable viewer numbers, as their sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers became the most-watched National League Championship Series (NLCS) in Japan, registering 7.34 million viewers, a 26% rise from the previous year. Additionally, NLCS Game 4, highlighted by Shohei Ohtani’s stellar performance featuring three home runs and 10 strikeouts, attracted 10.26 million viewers, ranking as the second most-watched LCS game ever in Japan.
MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. emphasized the global nature of baseball as the World Series will be available in 203 countries and territories, broadcast in 16 languages through 44 media partners. The combined rosters of the Blue Jays and Dodgers notably showcase the international appeal of the sport, with a total of 13 internationally born players from eight different countries and territories, including stars such as Shohei Ohtani from Japan and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from Canada.
Despite entering the postseason as a strong favorite, the Dodgers secured the third seed in the National League, capitalizing on their robust roster and performance throughout the season. Their starting pitchers for the World Series include Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both of whom delivered outstanding performances during the NLCS. On the other side, the Blue Jays’ lineup showcases key contributions from players such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer.
The journey to the World Series has been a rollercoaster for the Blue Jays, who overcame a 2-0 deficit against the Mariners in the ALCS. This triumphant comeback highlights a new chapter for the franchise as they look to capture their first championship title since 1993.
The World Series schedule is set to potentially extend until November 1, with all games broadcast on FOX. As the Dodgers aim to become the first team to achieve back-to-back championships since the New York Yankees achieved the feat from 1998 to 2000, the stakes are high for both teams as they embark on this legendary competition.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
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Additional Resources
- ESPN: Ranking the Best MLB World Series Matchups Since 2000
- Wikipedia: World Series
- ESPN: Dodgers Strongly Favored to Win World Series
- Google Search: Los Angeles Dodgers
- CBS Sports: World Series Schedule 2025 Dodgers vs Blue Jays
- Google Scholar: MLB World Series
- MLB: Dodgers Starting Pitchers Healthy for World Series
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Blue Jays
- Bleacher Report: Maple Leafs and Raptors Adjust Schedules for World Series
- Google News: 2025 MLB World Series
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