Shohei Ohtani vs. Max Scherzer.
Here we are, at the final game of the 2025 MLB season, on the first day of November.
Part of my process is to try and look at each game objectively beforehand. And when I look at this one, it doesn't seem like we've got much of a shot (despite fangraphs giving us a slight edge, 57.1%). Here's how I'm seeing it, in the hours before this game:
- Max Scherzer is going to be fired up. Not only does Scherzer have experience starting a World Series Game 7 (Nationals vs. Houston, 2019, in which he went five innings of seven-hit, 2 ER ball in a game the Nationals eventually won), but he also was pretty effective against the Dodgers in 2025 WS Game 3, going 4.1 IP and giving up 3 ER and getting 3 Ks in a game that was decided well after his contributions. In WS Game 3, Will Smith struck out to strand Ohtani in the first; Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernandez struck out after Teoscar Hernandez' solo shot in the second; and the third ER came when Ohtani hit a RBI double off of Mason Fluharty (who relieved Scherzer). Scherzer won't exit this game early. And I'm sure he will be on.
- We still aren't batting very well. Don't let yesterday's win fool you. We finally strung some hits together in the third inning of Game 6, but that was it for us that game; 2-for-6 with RISP, and only four hits with 12 Ks. The 12 Ks in yesterday's Game 6 continues a pretty concerning trend: 15 Ks in Game 5; 13 Ks in the marathon Game 3; 13 Ks in Game 1. So in four of the six World Series games, we are up there flailing, evidenced most clearly by albatrosses Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy (10 Ks each this World Series).
- Our defense has been atrocious. Teoscar Hernandez has already cost us runs on the basepaths this postseason as well as runs in the outfield off of horrible routes and stupid dives. Max Muncy had a misplay early in Game 6 around which Yoshinobu Yamamoto was able to work, but how can we count on those strokes of luck? And in Game 5, the missed double play opportunities rattled Blake Snell and curtailed his outing.
- We have no choices in the bullpen. I get it, all hands on deck and everything, and we'll probably see Tyler Glasnow tonight (after hurling only three pitches yesterday), not to mention possibly Blake Snell. But who else are we going to use in this pen? Roki Sasaki was shaky last night. Wrobleski is a tightrope. And if Blake Treinen enters the game, it's an automatic loss. Dave Roberts has made some deft bullpen choices this entire postseason, but I think he's out of options at this stage.
- Not to mention, we haven't gotten to the Toronto bullpen, which was supposed to be a weakness. After getting Kevin Gausman out yesterday, I thought we might tack on some insurance runs, especially against relievers we've seen before. But Mason Fluharty, Louis Varland, Seranthony Dominguez, and Chris Bassitt all shut us down.
- Rogers Centre is going to rock. The Toronto crowd has brought it all series--abating only in the split second that allowed Kiké Hernandez to hear Andres Gimenez' broken bat and realize he had the chance for a game-ending double play last night!--and it will be the most hostile (albeit polite) crowd the Dodgers have faced all year.
On the other hand...
What if Mookie's breakout yesterday works not just for him, but for the rest of this morobund lineup?
What if we get some heroic relief performances like we saw from Justin Wrobleski yesterday?
What if steady veterans like Miguel Rojas get into the starting lineup for the first time, and continue to play spectacular defense thet solidifies the infield?
What if unsung, late-season additions like Will Klein and Justin Dean suddenly hit the big stage...and totally impress with their brains and talent?
It's baseball. Strange things happen. Like this:
Or this:
Or even, this:
Crazy things happen in baseball, which is why even the best teams only win 60% of the time.
And maybe there is something to Mookie Betts' post-game prediction that Shohei Ohtani's story arc seems to have a flair for the dramatic, where he rises to the occasion.
I don't think Ohtani can do it alone, though. And Yamamoto can't save the team this time, so it is going to depend upon someone else.
The Dodgers have had a lot of lucky bounces and breaks this World Series. Let's see if we have one more in us.
