How will this year’s World Series play out? Using the Dynasty League Baseball online simulation, USA TODAY Sports’ Steve Gardner and DLB designer Mike Cieslinski will pre-play each game to provide some insight into the key matchups and strategy fans can expect to see in the Fall Classic.
The Toronto Blue Jays return home to Rogers Centre needing only one win in two potential games to wrap up the 2025 World Series championship. That’s the same situation in USA TODAY Sports annual Simulated World Series as Jays ace Kevin Gausman takes the mound against Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The two teams are well-rested after a travel day so expect both managers to use every weapon at their disposal.
Dodgers vs Blue Jays Game 6 simulation
All of the excitement from the virtual home crowd got an immediate jolt of reality when the Dodgers wasted no time teeing off against Gausman in the top of the first inning — the same way the Blue Jays did in the actual Game 5 at Dodger Stadium.
Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a booming double to right field and came around to score on a Mookie Betts double to left. And that was only the beginning. Freddie Freeman singled in a run. Will Smith singled. Teoscar Hernandez doubled both of them home. Tommy Edman added another RBI single to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead after a half inning.
In the top of the second, Ohtani struck again with a 423-foot solo homer to the opposite field and Gausman was out of the game shortly thereafter after recording only five outs.
But these Jays are relentless on offense. And after George Springer led off the third with a home run, they began an improbable comeback against Yamamoto — the winning pitcher in Game 2. In the bottom of the fourth, the Jays scored four times, aided by a Mookie Betts throwing error, to cut the deficit to one.
Springer struck again to tie the game at 7 with another solo homer. And in the bottom of the eighth, Springer doubled in Bo Bichette to give the Jays a one-run lead. Now, all that was left was to close things out in the ninth … against the heart of the Dodger lineup.
After getting Ohtani for the final out of the eighth, lefty Brendon Little remained on the mound for Toronto to start the ninth. Max Muncy roped a left-on-left double the other way and — with closer Jeff Hoffman warm in the bullpen — Little remained in the game to face Teoscar Hernandez, who doubled Muncy home to tie the score.
After the Jays failed to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth, Ohtani came to the plate in the 10th against right-hander Louis Varland and delivered a signature moment in this Sim Series — hitting a mammoth 503-foot moonshot to the second deck in right field to put the Dodgers ahead.
BOX SCORE: Dodgers 9, Blue Jays 8 (10 innings)
FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Ohtani’s mammoth blast lifts Dodgers in extras
The Blue Jays still had a chance to come back in the bottom of the 10th, with Dodger lefty Jack Dreyer on the mound. With the Jays down to their final out, Springer came through one more time with a clean single to left. Daulton Varsho followed with a line single to right … but as Springer headed to third, Varsho took too wide a turn at first base and was picked off for the final out of the game. A brutal ending with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left waiting in the on-deck circle.
Blue Jays vs Dodgers Game 6 projections, analysis
So what does our simulation tell us about what we can expect when the real Game 6 takes place?
- Sho-time: Ohtani had yet another unbelievable game when it mattered most. He also had a triple in addition to his double and two homers to finish the game 4-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBI. And yes, he capped things off with the 500-foot game-winning blast.
- Fresh bullpens: The Jays had to go to their bullpen much earlier than they would have liked in Game 6 when Gausman didn’t have his best stuff. However, they were able to match up against the Dodgers’ left-handed bats by deploying Mason Fluharty and Brendon Little when Ohtani, Freeman and Muncy came up.
- Unlikely outcomes: Even when the odds seem to be slightly favorable, the unexpected sometimes happens. Muncy’s double in the ninth came against Little, who had held left-handed batters to a .195/.304/.297 slash line during the regular season. In addition, Muncy hit just .157/.250/.314 against southpaws. But he got the big hit and scored the tying run. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see something totally unexpected play a key role in the real Game 6.
Dodgers vs Blue Jays Game 7 simulation
With the Dodgers pulling out a wild win in extra innings, it sets up a winner-take-all showdown in Game 7 with Tyler Glasnow on the mound for the Dodgers and Shane Bieber (not Max Scherzer) starting for the Jays. However, the starters may not matter with no more games left to play.
Once again, the Dodgers bats came out smoking — though this time it was in the second inning and not the first. Teoscar Hernandez got things going once again with a two-run double off Bieber as L.A. took an early 4-0 lead.
The Jays got two runs back on a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homer, but that was essentially the only mistake Glasnow made.
Toronto had no answer for the lanky right-hander as he kept putting up zeroes on the scoreboard. Into the seventh … eighth … and even the ninth. Glasnow retired 18 of the final 19 Blue Jays hitters in tossing a complete game, 5-2 win.
BOX SCORE: Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 2
FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Glasnow overpowers Jays to secure title
Glasnow’s final line: 9 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K.
Blue Jays vs Dodgers Game 7 projections, analysis
So what does our simulation tell us about what we can expect when the real Game 7 takes place?
- Here and ‘Now: Glasnow gives the Dodgers a clear advantage in starting pitching in Game 7, whether he faces Bieber or Scherzer. However, if he doesn’t throw a complete game, the Dodgers could bring in Ohtani as a reliever — something he’s never done as a major leaguer, but memorably did in closing out the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Japan when he struck out Team USA’s Mike Trout for the final out.
- Ohtani wins MVP: Ohtani earned Sim Series MVP honors by hitting .280 with two homers and an 1.135 OPS over the seven game series. In addition, he pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings during his Game 4 start. And he was warming up in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7, just in case Glasnow got into any trouble.
- Springer’s value: George Springer’s health may be the key to the Blue Jays being able to capture the title in real life. He’s been dealing with an injury to his side that kept him from playing in Game 5. However, his totals for the Sim Series underscore his importance to the Jays’ offense. Springer hit .379/.438/.690 with two homers and seven RBI for the simulated Jays.
2025 Sim Series results
- Game 1: Blue Jays 9, Dodgers 1
- Game 2: Dodgers 12, Blue Jays 3
- Game 3: Blue Jays 5, Dodgers 4
- Game 4: Blue Jays 3, Dodgers 1
- Game 5: Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 4
- Game 6: Dodgers 9, Blue Jays 8 (10 innings)
- Game 7: Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 2