Experience the Epic Battle of Dodgers and Blue Jays in World Series History

The night air in Los Angeles was electric, every pitch charged with the possibility of history. On Monday, Dodger Stadium bore witness to one of the most extraordinary spectacles in baseball lore: Game 3 of the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays became an 18-inning marathon, tying the all-time record for the longest World Series game ever played and shattering records in its wake. The Dodgers ultimately triumphed, 6-5, as Freddie Freeman sent a city into delirium with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th. With that one mighty swing, he not only ended the second-longest World Series game by duration—6 hours and 39 minutes, just shy of the 2018 epic between the Dodgers and the Red Sox—but also became the first player ever to hit multiple walk-off home runs in World Series history, having also delivered a grand slam in the opener of last year’s Fall Classic (Every Record That Was Broken During Dodgers-Blue Jays 18-Inning World Series Game 3). But this was more than just a test of endurance. It was a tapestry of drama, woven with moments of agony and euphoria. Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ two-way marvel, authored perhaps the most surreal stat line in postseason history. He reached base a record-setting nine times—four intentional walks, five other trips—becoming the first player since 1906 with four extra-base hits in a World Series game. The Blue Jays, haunted by Ohtani’s bat, chose to walk him intentionally four times, the most ever in a single postseason contest. After his second home run of the night tied the game in the seventh, Toronto simply refused to let him swing again, and who could blame them? (Shohei Ohtani on ESPN) The contest was relentless. Both teams combined for a record 37 runners left on base, with 19 pitchers deployed and 609 pitches thrown—each a new postseason high. Every position player for the Blue Jays had an at-bat, and the clubs combined for a record 153 plate appearances. Between the 10th and 18th innings, batters repeatedly reached but rarely crossed home, with just four hits in 26 at-bats with runners in scoring position during extras. The tension was nearly unbearable. Freeman, denied twice by Daulton Varsho’s heroics in center field, finally broke through leading off the 18th, launching a Brendon Little fastball into the night as Varsho could only watch in defeat. The Dodgers, now up 2-1 in the series, stand just two victories away from another title, while the Blue Jays must regroup from this soul-draining defeat. The atmosphere around the diamond was one of exhaustion and awe. “We’re all emotionally and mentally drained,” Freeman confessed postgame, echoing the sentiments of everyone who endured the marathon. Even pop star Justin Bieber, in attendance, couldn’t last the distance and departed before the finish. The pitching heroics were equally remarkable. Dodgers reliever Will Klein, once an afterthought, delivered four shutout innings on a career-high 72 pitches to earn the win. On the other side, Blue Jays reliever Eric Lauer outlasted his own starter, Max Scherzer, in a bullpen battle for the ages. The Dodgers even had Yoshinobu Yamamoto warming up for a historic relief appearance—two days after a 105-pitch complete game—before Freeman rendered that move unnecessary. Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ legendary lefty, may have made his final appearance, entering in the 12th to escape a bases-loaded jam, a fitting act for a career defined by postseason drama. The ghosts of history hovered over every inning. This game joined the legendary company of the 2018 Dodgers-Red Sox and 2005 White Sox-Astros marathons, each symbols of baseball’s capacity for both agony and ecstasy (What is the longest World Series game in history?). Yet, in a century of World Series lore, never had a game packed so many records, so much suspense, into one night. As dawn approached, attention turned to Game 4, with Ohtani—spent but unbroken after his nine on-base odyssey—set to take the mound against former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber. Manager Dave Roberts assured, “He’ll be ready.” The Blue Jays, led by John Schneider, vowed to bounce back, insisting the series was far from over. This was not just a baseball game. It was an epic, a test of will and heart, and a reminder that in October, anything is possible.