Category: Baseball

Get ready for the Fall Classic! The World Series is here, and you won’t want to miss a single out between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. Check out this article for more information on how to watch the 2025 MLB World Series featuring the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays. 

When does the 2025 World Series Start?

The 2025 World Series begins on Friday, October 24th. A potential Game 7 will be played on Saturday, November 1st.

How can I watch the 2025 World Series?

The 2025 World Series will air exclusively on FOX. You can also stream it on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.

What is the 2025 World Series schedule?

*if needed

How can I stream the World Series or watch without cable?

MLB World Series games on FOX will be available to be streamed live on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App and FOX One. 

For those without cable, there are live-streaming services that carry the channels above, including YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV and fuboTV.

If you have an antenna in a good reception area, you can also watch the MLB playoffs on your local FOX station. Check out the Federal Communications Commission TV reception maps to see which stations are available in your area.

View highlights, top moments and more at our World Series hub.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Shohei Ohtani is almost certainly the best all-around MLB player of this generation, and perhaps any generation, based on his jaw-dropping performance in Game 4 of the NLCS.

It included 10 strikeouts in six innings pitched, and three home runs at the plate.

Almost needless to say, the Dodgers‘ Ohtani is very popular with the public betting masses. So Caesars Sports rolled out a small catalog of Ohtani World Series prop bets.

“We did a bunch of Ohtani specials, including one on whether he’ll record 10 or more strikeouts pitching and hit two or more homers in one game,” Biggio said.

In other words: Will Shohei replicate his NLCS Game 4 performance? The odds are +2000, meaning a $100 bet would win $2,000 if Ohtani goes haywire again.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Here is the full deck of Ohtani props:

Ohtani to hit a leadoff home run: +300
Ohtani to record 7+ RBIs: +325
Ohtani to have 10+ hits: +350
Ohtani to hit a 470+ foot home run: +525
Ohtani to hit 5+ home runs: +1400
Ohtani to record a walk-off hit: +1500
Ohtani to have 10+ strikeouts and 2+ home runs in one game: +2000
Ohtani to throw 20+ strikeouts in the series: +3000

MVP Money

Along with all those Ohtani-specific props, the two-way superstar is also a solid +140 favorite in World Series MVP odds. Blue Jays‘ slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the +500 second choice.

“Obviously, people are throwing Ohtani MVP in parlays, and he’s in straight bets, as well. How can you go against the guy?” Biggio said. “But Ohtani winning MVP is OK for us. We kind of break even, because his odds are shorter.”

Other players, however, are creating MVP liability for Caesars.

“It’s a popular market and a fun one to book,” Biggio said. “We’ve got some liability to Mookie Betts. He’d be a good result for the customers, as would Vlad.”

Earlier in the postseason, Betts was available as a +7500 long shot. In fact, a Caesars customer jumped on those odds with a $1,300 wager.

If Betts wins MVP, then the bettor runs off with $97,500 profit (total payout $98,800). And Betts is now closing in on the favorites, as the +1200 fifth choice.

Another trouble spot for Caesars is Blake Snell. When World Series MVP odds first posted, the Dodgers’ starter was in the +7500/+8000 range. Now, he’s the +1400 co-sixth choice, after going 3-0 with a minuscule 0.86 ERA in three playoff starts.

In his last outing, NLCS Game 1 vs. Milwaukee, Snell threw eight shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out 10.

“With as good as he’s been, bettors are taking a shot on him,” Biggio said, while noting that a starting pitcher would likely have to record two wins minimum to get the award. “But that’s not out of the realm of possibilities.”

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Shohei Ohtani keeps finding ways to top himself. Baseball’s two-way superstar has been inspiring awe with his bat and arm from his days in Japan to joining the Los Angeles Dodgers on the once-biggest contract in North American pro sports.

Ohtani and the Dodgers are headed to the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays with a chance to become the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back championships.

That sets the stage for potentially more amazing feats by a player who rival players, managers and fans can’t help but marvel at while struggling to come up with new ways to describe his talents.

“Changing the way the game is being played right now,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “Pretty unbelievable.”

Here’s a look at some of Ohtani’s career highlights.

Through the roof at the Tokyo Dome

As a 22-year-old, Ohtani put on a power display at the WBSC Global Series in 2016, hitting a ball through the roof of the Tokyo Dome against the Netherlands. If the roof hadn’t stopped Ohtani’s blast, the ball was on course to travel over 525 feet (160 meters), according to media reports.

Ohtani is finally allowed to do it all — and delivers

On April 4, 2021, Ohtani pitched and hit in the same game for the first time. He started on the mound for the Los Angeles Angels against the Chicago White Sox.

In the first inning, he thew 100 mph on the mound and blasted a 451-foot home run off a 100-mph fastball in his first at-bat, making him the only player in the Statcast era to throw a 100 mph pitch and hit a ball thrown that fast in the same game.

A showdown with Mike Trout to end the World Baseball Classic

Ohtani struck out Angels teammate Mike Trout to end a 3-2 victory for Japan over the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic championship game in Miami on March 21, 2023.

With a 3-2 count, Trout swung at Ohtani’s 87-mph sweeper and whiffed to end it.

Ohtani raised both arms before throwing his glove and cap and getting mobbed by his teammates. Trout walked off the field with his head hung low. The two soon returned to spring training as teammates again.

A shutout and two homers in one doubleheader

Ohtani gave up one hit and struck out eight in his first complete game in MLB on July 27, 2023. He and the Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 6-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Ohtani’s legend grew in the nightcap at Detroit. He slugged two homers in an 11-4 win, becoming the second pitcher since 1900 to allow one hit or fewer during a shutout and homer twice on the same day.

Creating baseball’s 50/50 club — with a bang

Nothing like creating a club and becoming its first and so far only member.

In an otherworldly performance, Ohtani stole two bases and went 6 for 6 with three home runs and 10 RBIs to become the first player to hit 50 or more homers and steal 50 or more bases in a single MLB season.

That game in Miami on Sept. 19, 2024, occurred while Ohtani was rehabbing from a second major elbow surgery so he could return to the mound this season.

Ohtani wins his first World Series title in 2024

Ohtani won his first World Series championship in the first season of his $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers. He never made the playoffs in his first six seasons with the Angels.

The Dodgers took the series 4-1 over the New York Yankees on Oct. 31, 2024.

The Series wasn’t Ohtani’s finest moment. He was just 2 for 19 and injured his left shoulder in Game 2. But the Dodgers wouldn’t have won their eighth World Series title without his contributions throughout the season. Ohtani went on to claim his third MVP award and first in the National League.

Three homers, 10 strikeouts and a postseason show for the history books

Ohtani stunned with a three-homer, 10-strikeout performance in helping the Dodgers compete a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers and clinch the NL Championship Series.

Of course, he earned NLCS MVP honors.

Ohtani had been in a slump through the first two rounds of the playoffs and the first three games of the NLCS.

But he awoke in a big way, with a power show that included a 469-foot blast — his second of the game — that soared out of Dodger Stadium. He also tossed six scoreless innings in his first start in nearly two weeks.

Then a smiling Ohtani urged Dodgers fans around the world to “enjoy a really good sake” in celebration.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced their starting pitchers for Game 1 and Game 2 of the World Series.

First, Blake Snell will take the mound on Friday. Then, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the ball in the second game in Toronto. Both have been nearly untouchable throughout the 2025 postseason and have a chance to give the Dodgers home-field advantage. 

Snell has started three games in these playoffs — one in each series. He’s pitched at least six innings and struck out at least nine batters in each of those three outings. In his last two games — Game 2 against the Phillies and Game 1 against the Brewers — he allowed just a total of two hits and zero runs. 

Yamamoto has been equally stellar. He complements Snell’s hard-throwing approach with precision. In Game 2 of the NLCS, he pitched the first complete game in the playoffs since Justin Verlander in the 2017 ALCS. Over 19 2/3 playoff innings, he’s struck out 18 batters and walked just four. 

Behind Snell and Yamamoto, the Dodgers will try to take a 2-0 lead in Toronto before the World Series comes back to Los Angeles.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Count Deion Sanders as impressed with the spectacular show that Shohei Ohtani staged in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series.

“Can they just hand him the MVP during the game?” the Colorado Buffaloes coach said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.

Sanders was in awe after hearing the totality of the Los Angeles star’s performance as Ohtani threw six scoreless innings and struck out 10 while also hitting three homers to send the Dodgers back to the World Series.

“That is ridiculous, man,” Sanders said.

Best-ever performance, regardless of sport? Sanders wasn’t ready to definitively declare that.

“I’ve seen some wonderful things that have transpired in sports. It’s hard for me to say that, but that is unbelievable,” said Sanders, who played Major League Baseball while also embarking on a Hall of Fame football career. “He’s doing something that’s unfathomable.”

Sanders envisions Ohtani’s two-way exploits possibly paving the way for other baseball players to be allowed pitch and hit in a similar fashion. Maybe not to Ohtani’s level — he captured the NLCS MVP pretty much on Game 4 — but at least being given the chance.

It’s sort of like how Sanders empowered Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to play wide receiver and cornerback while at Colorado.

“There are many pitchers that can do both, but they’re never allowed to do so,” said Sanders, whose Buffaloes (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) return from a bye week and will play at Utah (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday night. “Because they put (players) in a pocket and say, ‘You just need to do that.’ So hopefully he opens the doors for others.”

Ohtani is the frontrunner to win a second straight NL MVP after a regular season in which he hit .282 with 55 homers and 106 RBIs. He also won the AL MVP in 2021 and ’23 with the Los Angeles Angels.

Sanders batted .263 with 39 homers, 168 RBIs and 186 stolen bases over his nine-year baseball career that spanned four teams. He remains the lone athlete to play in a World Series (with the Atlanta Braves) and a Super Bowl (San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys).

“It’s so funny because when I’m in the cafeteria, and the baseball games are on I’m thinking, ‘Dang, I really used to do that,’” Sanders said. “It’s unbelievable. Everybody’s throwing 95 (mph) and over now. Everybody’s launching bombs now. It’s unbelievable, man, what this game has gotten to. But I like it because it’s faster, it’s quicker.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Video Details

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

George Springer seized a spot in Toronto Blue Jays history when he hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning that sent his team to a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the AL Championship series.

Springer’s drive to left field Monday night didn’t have quite the same impact as Joe Carter’s homer that gave Toronto the World Series in 1993, or even Dave Winfield’s extra-inning double that helped the Blue Jays edge Atlanta for the 1992 title. But for a hit that occurred outside the World Series, Springer’s was awfully impactful.

A stat called championship win probability added (cWPA) — published by Baseball Reference — measures how much a particular play increased or decreased a team’s chance of winning that year’s World Series. That’s based on when it occurred in the game — and when that game occurred in the overall context of the season.

Springer’s homer increased Toronto’s chance of winning the World Series by 19.73%. It ranks as one of the 10 biggest non-World Series plays since 1903. Here’s the full list:

10. Chris Chambliss, New York Yankees (1976)

Chris Chambliss’ solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the New York Yankees a 7-6 win over Kansas City in Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS. (cWPA of 18.77%)

The LCS was best-of-five before 1985, so this homer by Chambliss was a walk-off in a winner-take-all game. It also touched off a complete mob scene as fans invaded the field at Yankee Stadium. Baseball Reference’s cWPA data has Chambliss’ drive just ahead of a similar homer by Aaron Boone of the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS 27 years later.

9. Cecil Cooper, Milwaukee Brewers (1982)

Cecil Cooper’s two-run single in the seventh that put the Milwaukee Brewers up 4-3 against the California Angels in Game 5 of the 1982 ALCS. (19.66%)

That 4-3 lead held up to give Milwaukee the pennant in a series California led 2-0 at one point. The Angels also blew a 3-1 lead in the 1986 ALCS.

8. George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays (2015)

Springer’s three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh that gave Toronto a 4-3 lead over Seattle in Game 7 of the 2025 ALCS. (19.73%)

Like Cooper’s hit, Springer’s drive turned a deficit into a lead in the seventh inning of a winner-take-all LCS game. Give Springer extra points for erasing a multirun deficit.

7. Manny Trillo, Philadelphia Phillies (1980)

Manny Trillo’s two-run triple with two outs in the top of the eighth, which gave the Philadelphia Phillies a 7-5 lead against the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the 1980 NLCS. (19.79%)

This two-run lead actually didn’t hold up. Houston tied the game, but the Phillies did eventually win 8-7 in 10. So those two runs were huge.

6. Jack Clark, St. Louis Cardinals (1985)

Jack Clark’s three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth that gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 7-5 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the 1985 NLCS. (19.83%)

The Dodgers pitched to Clark with first base open and he made them pay. This is the only play on this list that wasn’t in a winner-take-all game, but it sent the Cardinals to the World Series when they were one out from a Game 7.

5. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (2006)

Yadier Molina’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth that gave St. Louis a 3-1 lead over the New York Mets in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. (20.71%)

After a spectacular catch by New York’s Endy Chavez at the wall in left field earlier in the game, Molina sent this ball well past it. The Cardinals held off a New York rally in the bottom of the inning to win the pennant.

4. Rick Monday, Los Angeles Dodgers (1981)

Rick Monday’s solo homer in the top of the ninth that gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead over the Montreal Expos in Game 5 of the 1981 NLCS. (21.18%)

This homer — hit with two outs — ranks slightly ahead of Molina’s one-out drive. Both provided the game’s final scoring.

3. Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds (1972)

Johnny Bench’s solo homer in the bottom of the ninth for the Cincinnati Reds that tied Game 5 of the 1972 NLCS against Pittsburgh at 3. (22.52%)

The Pirates were three outs from the World Series, but those never came. Bench led off with this opposite-field drive, and Cincinnati would score the pennant-winning run on a wild pitch later that inning.

2. Bobby Thomson, New York Giants (1951)

Bobby Thomson’s three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth that gave the New York Giants a 5-4 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 3 of a tiebreaker series for the National League pennant in 1951. (35.56%)

Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round The World” wasn’t technically a postseason play because tiebreaker playoffs have been considered part of the regular season. Still, this was a winner-take-all game for a World Series berth, and Thomson’s team went from being down two runs to winning in one legendary swing.

1. Francisco Cabrera, Atlanta Braves (1992)

Francisco Cabrera’s two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that gave the Atlanta Braves a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS. (36.84%)

Cabrera remains one of baseball’s unlikeliest heroes, having had only 11 plate appearances during the 1992 regular season. He ranks just ahead of Thomson. Although Thomson’s hit erased a bigger deficit, Cabrera’s came with two outs while Thomson’s came with only one.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Among the 25 World Series champions since 2000, how did the 2014 Giants land in this spot? 

The 2014 Giants had an average lineup. The 2014 Giants had an average pitching staff. They won only 88 games in the regular season, and were probably lucky to do that given they outscored their opponents by all of 51 runs. And yet, they won the World Series. How? You can find the answer in three months.

After winning the season opener in March, the Giants went 16-11 in April. In May, San Francisco went 20-9, bringing their record to 37-20. After defeating the Mets on June 8, they were a season-high 22 games over .500, with a 43-21 record, and were 10 games up in the NL West. 

Everything then fell apart.

For the rest of June, the Giants went 4-15 and were outscored by 37 runs. A 12-14 July followed, with San Francisco outscored by seven runs. August and September were better — 16-12 and 13-12 — but not exactly reassuring. The Giants even fell another four games back of the NL West-leading Dodgers in September. No one else in the NL stepped up, however: The Pirates also won 88 games, making them the only other non-division winner in the NL besides the Giants and Brewers — Milwaukee went 82-80 — with a winning record. 

Pittsburgh and San Francisco faced off in the NL Wild Card Game, and the Giants advanced. They then took down the NL East champs, the 96-win Nationals, in four games. The NL Central champion Cardinals were next in the NLCS, in five games. And then the Giants won a seven-game World Series against the Royals, a team that had won an AL wild card and 89 games, then defeated a run of opponents with better records themselves. 

The Giants didn’t do much for most of the season that made them look like a postseason juggernaut, but most of the rest of the NL was worse. Star catcher Buster Posey was great, of course, and Hunter Pence, Brandon Crawford and Pablo Sandoval all produced, too. The rotation, Madison Bumgarner aside, was a mess, however, with midseason trade acquisition Jake Peavy the only other pitcher to turn in even an average performance for San Francisco. The bullpen had its high points — Jean Machi, Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla and some others — but the 2010 pen this was not. 

In the end, it was all enough. Despite their complete averageness, the Giants took down the Pirates, Nationals, Cardinals and Royals in succession. They survived the regular season, survived the Wild Card Game, then defeated teams that, reasonably, you would not have chosen them to defeat. Don’t misread here; the Giants earned that title. But they did not make it easy on themselves at any point after June 8, that’s for sure.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Among the 25 World Series champions since 2000, how did the 2006 Cardinals land in this spot? 

In 2006, Albert Pujols had one of the best seasons of his career. He slashed .331/.431/.671 with 49 homers, leading the majors in slugging percentage. Scott Rolen was his usual masterful self at third base and added plenty at the plate, too. Utilitymen Scott Spiezio and Chris Duncan hit well, while shortstop David Eckstein fielded fine but struggled at the plate. Veteran center-fielder Jim Edmonds was still productive, but at age 36 was slowing down. 

Let’s speed things up: Things aren’t great on offense when your 10th-ranked hitter by WAR is a starting pitcher, as was the case with the ‘06 Cards. Mark Mulder hit .280/.400/.480 in 36 plate appearances, and that created a ton of value given NL pitchers batted .132/.167/.175 overall. 

More 2006 Cardinals in a nutshell: Mulder was a better hitter than a pitcher. He had a 7.14 ERA across 17 starts. That was just kind of how the middle and back-end of the rotation went for this team, with Anthony Reyes posting a 5.06 ERA in 17 starts and Jeff Weaver at 5.18 across 15 starts. They were both better than Jason Marquis, who led the NL in losses with 16 owing to a 6.02 ERA. Chris Carpenter was his usual self with a 3.09 ERA in 221.2 innings, and Jeff Suppan was above-average — and therefore the team’s second-best starter — in his 190.

The bullpen was significantly better, with Jason Isringhausen closing games, and a slew of relievers successfully supporting him. The star of the pen was rookie Adam Wainwright. He would throw 75 innings with a 3.12 ERA while striking out well over three times as many batters as he walked. Wainwright is responsible for the most significant memory most people have of the 2006 postseason, too — one that still haunts Mets fans. 

In the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the NLCS, Wainwright was on the mound to close it out. Carlos Beltran came to the plate with two outs. Beltran had hit .275/.388/.594 with New York that season, his best in the majors to that point and also afterward, thanks to 41 homers and 95 walks to go along with a Gold Glove. 

As he came to the plate, the TV announcer said that Beltran had “murdered” Cardinals pitching in his two postseasons against St. Louis, as a member of the Astros in 2004 and with the Mets that fall. Here, the bases were loaded with two outs, with the Cardinals up two runs. The first pitch was a called strike fastball. The second was a curveball that Beltran fouled off. The third? A gorgeous curveball on the corner that locked up Beltran, who struck out looking. It was the end of the Mets’ season, and the true beginning of Wainwright’s excellent career. 

It was also a sign that nothing could stop this 83-win team, two years after the Cardinals’ 105-win 2004 club had been swept by the Red Sox in the World Series.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports