World Series Preview: Snell Looks to Extend Win Streak on Road in Game One

TORONTO—The Los Angeles Dodgers look to continue being road warriors this October, hoping to continue their undefeated play away from Dodger Stadium, and they’ll have a chance to do that with left-hander Blake Snell on the mound in Game One of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

It is the first meeting between these two clubs since early August, when the Dodgers took two of three at Chavez Ravine, but now they’ll meet in the 121st Fall Classic, their first meeting in October.

For Los Angeles, the story has been the starting pitching, which has set the tone this October with the combination of Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Ohtani posting a combined 1.40 ERA this postseason.

They’ll face their toughest task this fall in the Blue Jays offense, which is led by $500 million all-star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and has scored over 70 runs and hit 20 bombs in between the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees and the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners.

It’ll be tough for the Dodgers to top the theatrics of last year’s Game One of the World Series, but as with any series, winning the first game and on the road is a huge table setter and the team has done it twice, winning both games in Philly during the National League Division Series and in the National League Championship Series in Milwaukee.

Pitching Probables

Blake Snell (LHP) (3-0, 0.86 ERA) vs Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.20 ERA)

The Dodgers will have as good a chance to steal Game One on the road as they did during the NLCS with left-hander Blake Snell on the mound, making his first World Series start since Game Six of the 2020 World Series.

Snell will be looking for redemption after the Tampa Bay Rays were unable to hold their narrow lead when he was removed prematurely, and so far this October, Snell has been on a mission.

Snell has been the Dodgers’ best pitcher this postseason, which is saying something since the entire staff posted a 1.40 ERA so far, including a 0.64 ERA in the NLCS against the Brewers.

Snell’s last outing, the left-hander tossed eight scoreless innings, with the line hit being a flared single that was later erased thanks to a pickoff.

Overall, Snell is 3-0 this postseason and has only allowed two runs in 21 innings, and he’ll look to collect his third win on the road.

On the mound for Toronto will be rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage, who has set the league on fire since making his debut in September.

Yesavage’s rise through the minor league system this season has been remarkable, with the right-hander starting the year in Single-A and working his way to a major league mound by the final month of the season.

Yesavage will be the youngest Game One starter in the World Series in over 70 years and will face one of the best lineups in baseball, with Shohei Ohtani leading off.

Since Yesavage was called up so late in the season, not many teams have seen him, including the Dodgers, who just missed him when the two sides clashed in early August.

It’ll be interesting to see how Yesavage navigates through the Dodgers’ lineup, and his signature pitch is a hit splitter; the Dodgers ranked third overall in Run Value against splitters this season.

Who to Watch

It would be foolish not to pick Ohtani as a player to watch not only for Game One but the entire series.

Overall, this October, Ohtani has been subpar offensively, but the two-way superstar woke up in a big way during Game Four of the NLCS, clobbering three home runs while tossing six shutout innings.

With the Blue Jays not having a single left-handed starter in their rotation, the floor is open for multiple left-handed hitters to get the ground running, and Ohtani is my guy to watch.

In his career, Ohtani has also hit well in Toronto, slashing .288/.417/.610 with a 1.027 OPS and four home runs in 72 plate appearances at Rogers Center.

Where to Watch

The 2025 World Series will be aired exclusively on FOX and the Fox Sports App at 5:00 PM PT (8:00 PM ET)

Betting Odds

The Dodgers are favorites with a -155 moneyline against the Blue Jays, who are at +130. Los Angeles (-1.5) is favored on the run line, and the total runs over/under is set at 7.5.

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