Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, postseason edition! We'll keep you up to speed on everything you need to know every weekday throughout the 2025 World Series. Thanks for being here. A less resilient group might have crumbled after a crushing 18-inning defeat at the hands of the Dodgers one night earlier. But not this Blue Jays club. Toronto showed its mettle once again in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday, evening up the series at two games apiece with a 6-2 win. With that, the stage is set for a pivotal Game 5 tonight (8 p.m. ET, FOX). Both teams will turn back to their Game 1 starters tonight, with rookie Trey Yesavage taking the ball for the Blue Jays opposite the Dodgers' Blake Snell. Given the state of both of these bullpens, the onus will be on the two starters to provide more length than they did in Game 1. Another key storyline? The game of one-upmanship between each team's best hitter, Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. All eyes have been on Ohtani in this series, but Game 4 was Guerrero's turn to reclaim the spotlight. His go-ahead two-run homer off Ohtani in the top of the third gave Toronto a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Of course, Game 5 could also hinge on a number of key players who might not be top of mind at first pitch. Here are two on each side to watch tonight. BLUE JAYS Davis Schneider: With the left-handed Snell on the mound for L.A., the righty-swinging Schneider can expect to draw his fifth start of these playoffs -- perhaps even as Toronto's leadoff hitter in place of the injured George Springer. Batting second in Game 1, Schneider went 0-for-3 with a strikeout against Snell.
Mason Fluharty: The southpaw has been the first reliever out of the bullpen for Toronto in three of the four games in this series, entering into a high-leverage situation each time -- twice against Ohtani. Fluharty got the better of Ohtani with a strikeout in Game 1 but gave up an RBI double to the Dodgers superstar in Game 3. He was back out there in Game 4, retiring Max Muncy and Tommy Edman with the go-ahead run on base in the sixth. Fluharty needed only four pitches to do so, which means he could be an option in Game 5 as well. DODGERS Alex Call: Ohtani hasn't had a chance to bat with runners on base often in this series, and Andy Pages' struggles out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order are a big reason why. That has made the Blue Jays' decision to pitch around Ohtani even easier, as they've been able to walk him repeatedly without having to worry about sparking a big inning. With Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinting at a potential lineup shake-up after Tuesday's loss, Call could be thrust into duty as Pages' replacement for Game 5. Call, a 31-year-old playing in his first postseason after being acquired from the Nationals in July, is 4-for-9 with two walks this October and pinch-hit for Pages last night. Roki Sasaki: After pitching in seven of the Dodgers' 10 games through the NLCS, Sasaki has made just one appearance in the World Series -- Game 3, when he stranded two inherited runners in the eighth and worked out of another jam in the ninth. With Anthony Banda, Blake Treinen and Jack Dreyer all coming off back-to-back appearances, Game 3 hero Will Klein likely still unavailable and Clayton Kershaw only a break-in-case-of-emergency option at this point, Sasaki is nearly certain to play a prominent role in the Dodgers' plans tonight. You have to figure that Roberts would love nothing more than to use only Snell and Sasaki tonight. -- Thomas Harrigan |
Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are having a postseason for the ages. Will one of them make home run history? Will both of them? Shohei and Vladdy are both closing in on Randy Arozarena's MLB record for the most home runs in a single postseason, set when Arozarena smacked 10 homers for the Rays in the 2020 playoffs. Entering Game 5 of the World Series, Ohtani has hit eight this October, which already has him in a six-way tie for second on the list. Vlad Jr. has hit seven. They have at most three games left to catch Arozarena (if we're lucky enough to get a Game 7 this year). And that's just two more home runs for Ohtani, or three more for Guerrero. The way these two superstar sluggers have been putting on a show, we wouldn't put anything past them. -- David Adler |
In the time that Dodgers reliever Will Klein went from relative obscurity to postseason hero following his sublime performance in the Dodgers' 18-inning win in Game 3, his phone had blown up with around 500 text messages.
However, there was one well-wisher who stood out from all the rest: Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, who knows a thing or two about legendary World Series performances. And unlike those on Klein's phone, the iconic lefty waited in the Dodgers' clubhouse well after the six-hour, 39-minute contest was over to congratulate Klein in person.
This dream meeting really drove home to the unheralded reliever just how big of a deal his four scoreless innings were under some of the most stressful circumstances any pitcher could possibly face.
"Getting to meet Sandy after the game was, I mean, kind of surreal," Klein said on Tuesday. "He's obviously a legend, a Dodger legend, baseball legend, and just getting to meet him and shake his hand just kind of put it all into perspective." -- Ed Eagle |
From the U.S. to Canada to Japan, fans are glued to their screens for the 2025 World Series.
While the ratings for Monday's epic Game 3 aren't out, the first two games averaged 32.6 million combined viewers, the largest combined audience since the 2016 Fall Classic. Games 1 and 2 averaged a combined audience of 19.8 million viewers in the U.S. and Canada, which is a 27% increase over last year. In Japan, the opener averaged 11.8 million viewers, making it the third-most-watched World Series game ever in the country. With two, possibly three, more games to go, fans are staying up late -- or waking up in the morning in Japan -- to see if the Dodgers can win back-to-back titles or if the Jays can win it all for the first time since 1993. |
The Padres went to the Cardinals pipeline once before to fill their managerial vacancy, and they're hoping it works out again for them. Two-time World Series winner Albert Pujols is "considered a serious candidate," according to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman. Pujols, who was in San Diego for a second interview, is one of five candidates in the running to replace Mike Shildt -- the former St. Louis skipper who retired as the Padres' manager earlier this month. Pujols was considered the front-runner for the Angels' job, but contract talks broke down and the Halos hired Kurt Suzuki. The 45-year-old does not boast a big league -- or even a Minor League -- coaching background, but he managed Leones del Escogido to titles in both the Dominican Professional Baseball League and the Caribbean Series this past winter. And that doesn't take into account the three-time MVP's Hall of Fame résumé from his playing days, which would command respect in any clubhouse. Will we see Pujols leading the Padres (or someone else) next season, or might he still be available to manage the Dominican Republic in next year's World Baseball Classic? Either way, Pujols will be in a dugout come this March. |
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