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Game 1 of the World Series brought significant news even before it began, as the Blue Jays both activated star shortstop Bo Bichette, and put him in the lineup batting cleanup. Beyond that, he’s also playing at second base for the first time since 2019.
The Blue Jays’ starting nine for Game 1:
As MLB’s Sarah Langs pointed out, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Daulton Varsho all in the lineup, it’s the first time that three second-generation MLB players have ever started for one team: Vladimir Guerrero, Dante Bichette and Gary Varsho are their fathers, respectively.
As for the Dodgers, they will also be using a DH as their leadoff hitter:
The Blue Jays will send rookie Trey Yesavage to the mound on Game 1 to face the star-studded Dodgers lineup – Yesavage was drafted in 2024, 20th overall, and made just three regular season starts in MLB before the postseason began.
The Dodgers will counter with Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner who has pitched like that when he’s been able to take the mound in an injury-shortened 2025 season.
Game 1 of the World Series will air exclusively on FOX at 8 p.m. ET, and through streaming on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.
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Some teams rule the regular season, storm through the playoffs, and then fall short in the World Series.
Others don’t even make that far. And the list of teams and stars who couldn’t quite reach the Fall Classic is as impressive as the squads that did win it all.
We’ve ranked the World Series champions since 2000, as well as the best runners-up since the start of the century. But let’s dive a bit deeper into the well and look at the 10 best teams of the past 25 years who didn’t reach the World Series.
CHECK OUT: WORLD SERIES WINNERS SINCE ’00, RANKED
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1. Seattle Mariners (2001)
Regular Season: 116–46 (1st in AL West)
ALDS: Defeated Cleveland, 3–2
ALCS: Lost to Yankees, 1–4
The ‘01 Mariners are one of the great teams all-time, never mind just this century. They never did finish the job, though, and are mostly remembered for that instead of just how incredible they were. They tied an MLB record with 116 wins, amassed 67 wins above replacement — significantly more than any World Series winner of the century — and outscored opponents by 300 runs at a time when pitchers couldn’t keep the ball in the park: just one other AL team even had a run differential over +100. Ichiro Suzuki, AL Rookie of the Year and the AL’s Most Valuable Player, is the obvious standout, but don’t forget John Olerud, Edgar Martinez, Mike Cameron and Bret Boone.
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2. Los Angeles Dodgers (2022)
Regular Season: 111–51 (1st in NL West)
NLDS: Lost to Padres, 1–3
This is the only team that could rival the 2001 Mariners in terms of the best regular season club of the century so far — the ‘22 Dodgers outscored opponents by 334 runs and won 111 games, the second-most in National League history and tied for the fourth-most all-time. Freddie Freeman led the NL in OBP at .407 while Mookie Betts finished fifth in the NL MVP race while taking home a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove, powering one of the league’s best lineups. The pitching staff was one of the best of the entire century, though, led by a rotation with three All-Stars and the NL’s leader in ERA. Despite all of this, they lost in the NLDS to the Padres in four games.
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3. Cleveland (2017)
Regular Season: 102–60 (1st in AL Central)
ALDS: Lost to Yankees, 2–3
This team is even better than the one that lost in the 2016 World Series to the Cubs, which makes their early exit all the more heartbreaking. Despite winning 102 games behind an above-average lineup and a pitching staff fronted by AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber — he led the majors in ERA (2.25) and K/BB (7.36) while leading the AL in walk rate (1.6) — Cleveland couldn’t get out of the first full round of the postseason. Their rotation was terrifying in the regular season, and their bullpen arguably even better, but they dropped three in a row to the Yankees after going up 2-0 in the ALDS.
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4. Houston Astros (2018)
Regular Season: 103–59 (1st in AL West)
ALDS: Defeated Cleveland, 3–0
ALCS: Lost to Red Sox, 1–4
The 2018 Red Sox were truly tested on their way to a World Series championship, as they took on not just the Dodgers — who ranked fourth on the World Series runner-up list above — but also the Astros, who placed fourth on this one and were arguably superior to the ‘17 champions. These Astros won 103 games while posting a better run differential and wins above replacement total than the Sox, who had also defeated the 100-win Yankees in the ALDS. The Astros and Red Sox might have been a lot closer than their records indicated in the regular season, but in the ALCS, Boston looked like the superior team by far, and took them down in five.
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5. Los Angeles Dodgers (2021)
Regular Season: 106–56 (2nd in NL West)
Wild Card Series: Defeated Cardinals, 3–1
NLDS: Defeated Giants, 3–2
NLCS: Lost to Braves, 2–4
As was said before, there have been a ton of amazing Dodgers teams in the last decade of this century. If you want to know what the 2020 champions might have looked like in a full season, you could do a lot worse than checking in on the 2019 and 2021 clubs, both of which made this list of teams that failed to make it to the World Series despite their greatness. Despite outscoring opponents by 269 runs and putting up as many wins above replacement as any World Series winner from the century, the ‘21 Dodgers lost in the NLCS to the eventual-champion Braves.
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6. Oakland Athletics (2001)
Regular Season: 102–60 (2nd in AL West)
ALDS: Lost to Yankees, 2–3
The Mariners winning 116 games probably would have buried the memory of the 2001 A’s and their 102 wins deep, if not for a little thing called “Moneyball”. Regardless of the club’s importance to MLB front offices, what we care about here is just how great of a baseball team they were — and they were one of the best, even if, as general manager Billy Beane famously put it, “My s— doesn’t work in the playoffs.” He wasn’t wrong, though — what happens in the postseason itself often does come down to luck, if the clubs on this list and their win totals and dominating figures didn’t already serve as a reminder. The 2001 A’s lacked luck, and lost in the ALDS to the Yankees.
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7. San Francisco Giants (2021)
Regular Season: 107–55 (1st in NL West)
NLDS: Lost to Dodgers, 2–3
Maybe it’s fitting that the Giants won with what even their fans deemed “even-year magic” in the previous decade, and then lost when they put together an actual juggernaut. The ‘21 Giants won the NL West with 107 victories, wresting it from the Dodgers, and did so with a +210 run differential and about half-a-win above replacement fewer than the Dodgers did. They were a legit threat, and also one that went home early after losing to the wild-card-winning Dodgers in the NLDS.
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8. 2002 New York Yankees
Regular Season: 103–58 (1st in AL East)
ALDS: Lost to Angels, 1–3
Besides the 2009 World Series-winning club, the 2002 Yankees are the best that this organization has managed to be in the regular season this century. Their greatness is often forgotten about, however, up against the drama of the 2001 and 2003 World Series defeats and 2000’s championship that came despite an 87-win season — forgotten about, in no small part, because they lost to the eventual-champion Angels in the ALDS. The ‘02 club won 103 games, however, and were more impressive than most of the actual World Series champions of the century… at least, in the regular season.
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9. 2023 Atlanta Braves
Regular Season: 104–58 (1st in NL East)
NLDS: Lost to Phillies, 1–3
The 2021 Braves won the World Series, and the 2023 Braves could have been right there with them. Whereas the ‘21 squad had to play without Ronald Acuna Jr. for half the season and the postseason — and obviously did so successfully — the ‘23 edition had a full year of NL MVP Acuna, in which he led MLB in steals (73), hits (217) and on-base percentage (.416), while becoming the first-ever 70/40 club member owing to his 41 dingers. They had the best offense in the league by adjusted OPS and led in runs scored, too, all supporting an above-average pitching staff. They also lost in the NLDS in four games to the Phillies; that’s just how it goes sometimes in the postseason.
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10. 2019 Los Angeles Dodgers
Regular Season Record: 106–56 (1st in NL West)
NLDS: Lost to Nationals, 2–3
These aforementioned Dodgers weren’t quite as good as their 2021 future selves, but considering they won 106 games, outscored opponents by 273 runs and produced over 50 wins above replacement, the difference is pretty minimal. It turns out that a ton of amazing baseball teams fail to cross the finish line each year, and no organization this century knows that better than the Dodgers. They didn’t sign Shohei Ohtani to a record contract for no reason at all, you know? Losing in the NLDS to the Nationals in 2019 and the Padres in 2021 will convince an organization to do something that drastic.
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It’s that classic time of Fall.
The World Series begins Friday night, with the Dodgers set to take on the Blue Jays. L.A. will represent the National League, and despite an underwhelming regular season where it coasted to 90 wins, it is not a surprise to many.
The Blue Jays, however, are quite the opposite.
With 60-1 odds before the season, and 80-1 odds as late as June according to sportsoddshistory.com, the Blue Jays would be one of the most unlikely champions in baseball history. These teams did meet for one series in the regular season, with the Dodgers winning two out of the three games in Los Angeles.
Will Toronto continue its Cinderella run, or will the Dodgers be the first team since the 2000 Yankees (the Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000) to become back-to-back champs?
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As great of a story as the Blue Jays winning it all would be, I can’t see past the power of the Dodgers. It’s not just the power of their bats, but their array of powerful arms in the rotation, that are all now healthy at the same time.
A possible concern for L.A. might be the week-long layoff, as it swept the Brewers in the NLCS, while the Blue Jays won the ALCS in seven games. However, that is not enough for me to go against what is clearly the more talented team here. The Dodgers winning in five games is the most likely outcome (+330 odds) according to the sportsbooks, which brings me to my best bet.
Blake Snell has been dominant this postseason, going 3-0 with a 0.86 era in three starts. If this does end with the Dodgers winning in five, that could line Snell up to pitch the clincher and give him a shot at two of the four series wins. It’s a formula that earned starting pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Cole Hamels World Series MVP honors in years past, and at 19-1 odds (a $10 bet win $190), it is worth a bet, considering Snell’s dominant form.
The last time we saw Snell in the World Series was as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. In Game 6 of that series, against the Dodgers, he was controversially taken out of a game he was leading 1-0. After Snell’s exit, the Dodgers would rally and win the game to clinch the series.
Five years later, it would be fitting if Snell was on the winning side, this time with the Dodgers. And with how well he is pitching, and with the way the series lines up, I like him as a dark horse for MVP.
Will Hill, a contributor on the Bear Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.
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It’s here.
The 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays commences on Friday night, and FOX is the exclusive home of the Fall Classic.
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Both teams announced their respective 26-man rosters for the World Series on Friday morning:
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Infield/Outfield
Designated Hitter/Pitcher
Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Pitchers
Game 1 Starters: Blake Snell (Dodgers) vs. Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays)
For a detailed look at the stars, role players and wild cards on the World Series rosters, check out FOX Sports’ tiered rankings of these players.
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Pat Murphy says he couldn’t have imagined going directly from coaching in the college ranks to managing in the major leagues.
But the Milwaukee Brewers skipper – who previously worked as a head coach at Arizona State and Notre Dame – is confident Tony Vitello can make a successful transition from coaching the University of Tennessee to managing the San Francisco Giants.
“I’m excited for this guy,” Murphy said. “I hear great things. I’ve met him before, but I’m not close associates with him. I’ve heard great things about him. They have a great team and a great organization, so I think it’s going to work, and I don’t think that can happen a lot. I know I wouldn’t have been ready.”
Murphy’s success has lent credence to the notion that a college coach could thrive as a major-league manager.
After coaching over two decades at Notre Dame and Arizona State, Murphy has led the Brewers to consecutive NL Central titles since taking over as the manager. He was named the NL Manager of the Year in 2024.
But his situation was very different from the circumstances surrounding Vitello’s hire.
Vitello, who led Tennessee to a 2024 College World Series title, has no pro experience. He is going directly from college to the majors.
Murphy ended his college coaching career in 2009 when he left Arizona State amid an NCAA investigation. He started working in the San Diego Padres’ organization the following year, had a stint as their interim manager in 2015, and then spent eight seasons as Milwaukee’s bench coach.
“What I know for sure is that I couldn’t have made the jump successfully,” Murphy said. “Because it’s two different games. I say it’s like harness racing and thoroughbred racing. What facilitates that thing is if you have a president or other group of people around you that are going to help you facilitate that and the differences.”
Murphy believes the 47-year-old Vitello has that in Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
“It’s one of those things that if you have everything in place helping you through it, I think the best parts of him can come out, the needed parts, building the connections, the impact on players, the parts that he’s not used to,” Murphy said. “There will be people around him to fill him in. Buster Posey is not dumb. He knows what he’s doing. He knew the scrutiny, and he knew the importance of this hire. And I think it’ll go well for them.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers kick off the 2025 World Series today! Check out everything you need to know about how to watch the Dodgers vs Blue Jays in the World Series:
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Big Papi, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter previewed the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 World Series.
*if needed
The Blue Jays have played the Dodgers a total of 3 times this season. The Dodgers win the season series 3-0. Check out the results from each game below:
According to DraftKings, the Dodgers are favored to win the series. Check out the detailed odds below:
Deesha Thosar: The Dodgers in five. It’s been a fantastic run for the Blue Jays, who were not at all the favorites to win the American League pennant. But Ohtani and the Dodgers are a buzzsaw.
Rowan Kavner: Yep, Dodgers in five. The right-handed heavy Blue Jays pitching staff is going to have a tough time against this star-studded L.A. lineup, especially after Ohtani had his get-right game. The only way Toronto wins this series is if it knocks a starter out early and takes advantage against a vulnerable Dodgers bullpen, but I don’t see that happening more than once or twice against this juggernaut rotation. Now healthy, that group has been virtually unhittable for months.
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TORONTO – When Don Mattingly steps onto the field for infield drills, the Blue Jays tense up.
As Mattingly heads toward first base to catch, players know they have to be sharp. They can’t let Donnie Baseball down.
“Every time he catches balls at first base, I’m nervous,” second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa told me at Rogers Centre on Thursday. “I’m throwing across to him, and just from my time with the Yankees, and all the stories I’ve heard about him, and what he’s meant to the organization, I get nervous to throw the ball to him. Being able to throw to him every day, it’s a special thing that I don’t take for granted.”
Back on the bench as a coach, Don Mattingly has another shot at an elusive World Series ring (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) <!–>
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Mattingly is a living legend, and everyone around him knows it, even more so after he accomplished the one feat missing from his storied pilgrimage through baseball. Finally, after the Blue Jays clinched the American League pennant, Mattingly reached the World Series for the first time in his career. He did it after spending 36 years as a player, coach, and manager in the uniforms of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and Toronto Blue Jays.
“Man, I could sit here and talk about Donnie forever,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Donnie was my favorite player growing up. So to have him here in his first World Series with me is unbelievably special. But he’s done so many things behind the scenes to help get the staff prepared, and to really help the players get prepared for how we’re rolling out our lineup.”
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Mattingly takes his responsibilities as the Blue Jays bench coach just as seriously as his illustrious 14-year playing career for the Yankees. Famous for his intensity and dedication to his craft, that’s the same attitude he still takes to first base when he’s closely watching the Blue Jays work on their defense.
He never takes a day off. Even Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doesn’t catch throws pregame as consistently as Mattingly does. Players have noted how impressive that is, especially at 64 years old. The last thing they want to do is disappoint one of the best first basemen to ever play the game.
“When he’s out there catching balls for us every single day, that’s a nine-time Gold Glover catching balls for us,” Kiner-Falefa said. “So we’re out there making plays, but we know how much defense means to him. So we go out there with the intention of making him look good — and him not getting mad at us. We do everything we can to make him proud.”
Sure, Mattingly can be fiery; 19 career ejections as a manager have earned him that distinction. And he knows all about pressure and expectations, having played in pinstripes under George Steinbrenner in the Bronx. Players can feel and understand that tension — his demand for excellence — even today when they field ground balls in front of him.
Some things never change.
“Anytime I make a bad throw, I’m like, ‘Ughhh. I made Donnie Baseball jump.’ It’s just a bad feeling whenever you have to make him move,” Kiner-Falefa said. “But when you do make a bad throw, and he picks it, it’s just like butter. It’s like, wow. He’s still got it.”
How could he not? Mattingly, the 1985 MVP for the 97-win Yankees, was a six-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, and arguably the best franchise player who never reached the World Series. He thought the 1994 and ‘95 Yankees teams, led by Paul O’Neill, Wade Boggs, and Bernie Williams, had a real shot at winning a title. But the ‘95 Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs after the Seattle Mariners won Game 5 in the 11th inning of the Division Series.
Mattingly retired after that October. Then the Yankees went on a dynastic run. They reached the World Series six times over the next eight years, winning the championship four times in that span. But Mattingly never stopped trying to win a championship, even if that’s not his only source of motivation these days. He accepted the bench coach job with the Jays not to win a ring, but to impart his knowledge of the game to a new generation in Toronto. Working alongside Schneider, then entering his second year as skipper, it seemed like a good fit.
A Yankees great, Don Mattingly fell short of winning a World Series as a player. (Photo by Chuck Solomon /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) –> <!–>
“I think you try to put it out of your mind, kind of,” Mattingly said of a World Series appearance eluding him until now. “You do what you do. You get ready. You get ready as a player, you get ready as a coach, or a manager. And then you try to get it to come together. You know how hard it is. In a sense, it was just like a relief, I guess. But I don’t know if that’s the right word.
“But really, more just happy about getting there. Number one, having this opportunity. But again, it goes back to our team. Watching them play and how they’ve responded to everything and what we’ve had to do to get here has been fun.”
Mattingly’s stamp on the game hasn’t just shown up in the way the Blue Jays hit, field, and play. Since joining the organization in 2023, he has reminded the Blue Jays to keep their heads up during tough stretches. He has asked players to show up, no matter how painful last night’s loss was, or how dreadful the team had been playing. He appreciated that they listened to him, arriving to work with the same look on their faces before it finally translated into results.
After finishing last in the AL East last year, the Blue Jays edged out the Yankees to win the division this year. Then they eliminated the Bronx Bombers, the only team Mattingly has ever played for, from the playoffs in the Division Series. Then they bounced the Mariners after a thrilling Game 7 in the Championship Series, which was fitting for Mattingly, since his Yankees lost to Seattle in the 1995 postseason. Even though Yankees fans have every reason to despise their Blue Jays, they’ve found themselves rooting for them – if only for Donnie Baseball to win his first ring.
“It’s a really humbling feeling that people want that for you,” Mattingly said.
It’s not just Yankees fans — who included Mattingly in their traditional bleacher-creature roll call during the Division Series — that are happy to see the former first baseman enjoying the World Series stage. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who infamously shared a heated interaction with Mattingly in the 2015 Division Series, is thrilled for his former manager. But that doesn’t mean he’s rooting for him to win.
Mattingly managed Kershaw from 2011-15 with the Dodgers. Instantly, Kershaw understood that Mattingly was cut from the same cloth as Joe Torre, who managed Kershaw from 2008, his rookie year, through 2010. Both skippers knew just what to say at exactly the right time. There wasn’t a lot of hand holding or pats on the back. But from Mattingly, Kershaw learned what it’s like to play under a certain expectation.
Don Mattingly’s shot at a World Series ring will come against the team he once managed. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) –> <!–>
“Just do your job,” Kershaw said of Mattingly’s philosophy. “Baseball is awesome. It’s a lot of fun. But if you do your job, and everybody does their job, then you’ll be ready to go. Donnie just had that expectation for us to do our job. Nobody has to do more or less than what they’re asked to do. He didn’t have to tell us what to do. It’s what’s expected. You learn how to do things on your own a little bit.
“For me, I loved it. It was a great way for me to figure out how to become a professional baseball player and get better.”
After Mattingly helped make the Blue Jays better, the organization is four wins away from winning its first championship in 32 years. The only team standing in their way is the star-powered Dodgers, led by manager Dave Roberts. Coincidentally, Roberts also played a hand in stopping Mattingly from reaching the World Series when he launched the Red Sox comeback by stealing second base in the 2004 ALCS. Mattingly, who was the Yankees hitting coach that season, was one win away from reaching the World Series before Boston won the next four games.
Now, Mattingly has the chance to exact revenge on Roberts and the Dodgers for his first championship. It all feels like destiny.
But not for Donnie Baseball, who trusts the work and the work alone.
“I don’t know if I necessarily believe in destiny,” Mattingly told me. “I believe in the best teams and who plays the best.”
Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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What’s better than watching baseball? Watching baseball and winning money!
You can partake in the best of both worlds while watching the MLB World Series this weekend with our free-to-play FOX Super 6 game.
How do you play? Enter the MLB Playoff Super 6 contest by predicting the correct answers to six questions before the games start for your chance at weekly cash prizes.
All you have to do is finish in the top six to win a prize.
It really is that simple, and again, it’s free.
And if you need a little help before heading to the app to make your picks, we have you covered this week.
Read below for our thoughts on the playoffs, which can be seen on FOX and the FOX Sports app.
Let’s dive into the questions and predictions below.
1. Which player will have the MOST HITS in the World Series?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Shohei Ohtani, George Springer, Mookie Betts
No player has more hits in the postseason than Guerrero Jr. with 19. Betts has 12 which is the highest of any Dodger during the playoffs, so choosing him would be a good option as well. Still, when combining regular and postseason statistics, Vlad has 191 hits— tied for the second most of any player in baseball, trailing only Aaron Judge (192).
Prediction: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2. Will Shohei Ohtani have more STRIKEOUTS AS A PITCHER or HITS AS A BATTER in the World Series?
More Strikeouts as a Pitcher OR More Hits as a Batter
Ohtani has just nine hits in the postseason compared to a whopping 19 strikeouts in just two pitching starts. Five of those nine hits have been home runs, but it’s still hard to go against his dominance as a pitcher. In Game 4 against the Brewers, he recorded 10 strikeouts, six shutout innings on the mound and also homered three times.
Prediction: More Strikeouts as a Pitcher
3. Which trio of players includes the 2025 World Series MVP?
Ohtani, Edman, W. Smith
Guerrero, Springer, Varsho
Freeman, T. Hernández, Betts
None of the above
For his entire career, Ohtani has done things that no one in MLB history has due to his two-way dominance. If the Dodgers win, it will because of his prowess on the mound coupled with his ability as a power-hitter. He’s hit five home runs in the playoffs along with a 2.25 ERA, and in the regular season— he hit 55 long-shots with a 2.87 ERA as a pitcher.
Prediction: Ohtani, Edman, W. Smith
4. How many COMBINED STRIKEOUTS will Blake Snell and Kevin Gausman have in the World Series?
0-15, 0-20, 0-25, 0-30+
15-20, 15-25, 15-30+
20-25, 25-30+
These two pitchers have combined for 40 strikeouts in six pitching starts in the postseason, but both will face teams with extremely hot bats. As a team, Toronto is batting a whopping .296 with 115 hits in the playoffs while Los Angeles is at .256 with 88. Expect a middle-of-the-road performance from both a pitching and batting perspective in this series.
Prediction: 15-20
5. Rank the players by who will SCORE THE MOST RUNS in the World Series (highest to lowest):
George Springer
Teoscar Hernández
Alejandro Kirk
Freddie Freeman
Of this group, no player has more runs scored in the postseason than George Springer with 11. And when looking at the regular season, his 106 was tied for the ninth-most of all players, and again more than anyone else in this group.
Prediction: George Springer
6. Who will win GAME 4 of the World Series?
Blue Jays OR Dodgers
Toronto went down 0-2 against the Mariners and climbed their way back to win the series in seven games. Whether that happens again or not, the Blue Jays have to win either Game 3 or 4 in Los Angeles.
Prediction: Blue Jays
Tiebreaker: What will be the final score?
Prediction: 6-4
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