'Feels like we’re getting ready for Game 8': Blue Jays to host Dodgers in World Series rematch

Last November, Miguel Rojas experienced the kind of moment that kids dream about while playing baseball in the backyard: He saved his team's season with a game-tying homer in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, setting the stage for Los Angeles' comeback victory.

Five months later, the unlikely hero is anticipating another career milestone of sorts when he and the Dodgers return to Toronto this week.

"It's not like playing in front of our fans, it's playing in front of the whole city that was hopeful to win a World Series," Rojas said. "I'm expecting, for the first time in my life, to get booed when I play there."

From Monday through Wednesday, the Dodgers and Blue Jays match up for the first time since the World Series at Rogers Centre, where confetti rained down upon the back-to-back champions while the home team had to watch the celebration that was almost theirs.

“I may be 41 years old, but I never thought I could love baseball this much,” Max Scherzer said that night, standing in a silent clubhouse.

That incredible World Series will tie these players and teams together forever. Now, it’s time for the next chapter.

Projected pitching matchups:

Monday: LHP Justin Wrobleski vs. RHP Max Scherzer
Tuesday: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. RHP Kevin Gausman
Wednesday: RHP Shohei Ohtani vs. RHP Dylan Cease

What the players are saying:

Dodgers:

Rojas: "We respect all the opponents throughout the year, but there are series in the middle of the year that … get the best out of you. And I think this series -- and series like when we play the Padres, when we play a big weekend series against the Yankees or stuff like that -- makes you feel like, 'OK, this is a way to prepare for what's coming.' With that being said, it's kind of like trying to find things that get you ready for what you want to accomplish and where you want to get. And especially when you face these teams that are looking for the same thing that you're looking for, which is winning a championship, it gets you ready for where you want to go."

Wrobleski: "I'm not expecting a warm welcome, but at the same time, I think it's pretty cool that that's kind of the way it is. The fans really care about this game and just the World Series and everything kind of surrounding it. I think that's part of what makes baseball great."

Teoscar Hernández: "I think it's gonna be great. A little crazy. The fans there love baseball so much. They love the Blue Jays, and I think they wanted to see a match between the Dodgers and the Blue Jays again. And I expect a lot of people going to that series, so it's going to be exciting."

Blue Jays:

Kevin Gausman: “It feels like we never left, to be honest. It feels like we’re getting ready for Game 8,” Gausman said prior to his Opening Day start. “Obviously, there’s no Game 8. It’s kind of nostalgic. I threw my bullpen yesterday. It was weird for me to play catch before that. Just going up to the steps to the bullpen, I was remembering the last time I did this. It was Game 6 and you could just feel the electricity in the air, the excitement in every fan hoping that we could win that game, and if we didn’t win that game, that we could win the next one …”

Ernie Clement: “It’s just another series that we really have to win, honestly. Our schedule is kind of bizarre at the beginning of the year. It’s another series against a really, really good team. They’re going to try to kick our ass. We’re going to show up to the ballpark ready to play.”

George Springer: “That’s all it is. Last year is last year and it doesn’t have any merit on this year. Obviously, it’s a very, very good team in early April. We’ll see what happens.”

Myles Straw: “I know the fans are going to want to see it. For us, it’s a new season and it’s another series. We’re trying to win a series at that point, but once it happens and we’re taking the field, I’m sure there will be a little emotion. For me, I’m trying not to look back at last season. I’m trying to focus on winning here and living in the present. That’s all you can do, but it’s going to be fun. They’re still a good team, obviously, and they’re going to be a team that — just like us — has everyone coming for them this year.”

What the managers are saying:

Dodgers:

While it would be difficult to match the electric atmosphere from the World Series, manager Dave Roberts is expecting an intense series, something that could be good for both teams at this early point in the season. Much like his players, Roberts isn't anticipating anything less than a chilly reception from the home crowd.

"I think the fans there want a piece of us," he said.

The Dodgers have already played one team that made the postseason last year, the Guardians. The Blue Jays, who were a hair's breadth away from thwarting the back-to-back champions' title defense in its final stage, will be a much steeper challenge.

"That team, they're a tough, gritty team," Roberts said. "It'll be good to get back up to the Rogers Centre."

Blue Jays:

John Schneider isn’t biting on this one. If the manager turns this series into a big deal, that gives the players the permission to do the same, so he’s left this to be something that media and fans talk about. Schneider has been addressing it with players as it comes up naturally, like it did recently as they were mapping out pitching plans.

John Schneider: “I was joking with the guys that it’s not a three-game rematch of the World Series, it’s just three games you’ve got to cover and try to win.”

Up in the front office, club president and CEO Mark Shapiro spoke to what so many others are feeling.

Shapiro: “I think it will be impossible to not look through a windshield with some mixed emotions when they come here, but I’ll do my best to hold myself to a philosophical core, which is that it’s not last year, it’s this year. They’re just the opponent we’re facing and it is what it is, but there will be moments. A lot of the clubs are the same. It will be impossible not to reflect at certain times.”

How are these rosters different in 2026?

Dodgers:

The core that helped L.A. to consecutive championships is not just intact, but improved by a pair of key additions. Last year's Dodgers had weaknesses in the outfield and the bullpen, so they signed the two best free agents for their needs: Right fielder Kyle Tucker and closer Edwin Díaz.

Notably, Tucker was heavily pursued by the Blue Jays, who were viewed as the most likely team to give him a long-term megadeal. His choosing the Dodgers could mean that he'll be on the receiving end of the home fans' displeasure, even though he played no role in their World Series defeat.

"I don't know. I'm just gonna try and go there and win the games," Tucker said. "I'm pretty good friends with a few guys on the team, so it'll be good to see them all again, catch up with them."

The Dodgers won’t have Mookie Betts for this series, though, after Betts was placed on the IL with a right oblique strain Sunday.

Blue Jays:

Bo Bichette is gone, his three-run home run off Ohtani in Game 7 now just a painful memory, a highlight that should have lived forever in Blue Jays history, just behind Joe Carter. He’s been replaced by Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto, though, and by allowing Andrés Giménez to slide to shortstop full-time -- which we saw in the World Series -- the Blue Jays’ infield defense is significantly better.

Cease was the Blue Jays’ big splash this offseason, bringing dominant talent to the top of their rotation. You’ll see him in Game 3 of this series against Ohtani in a dream pitching matchup.

Final thoughts:

Dodgers reporter, Sonja Chen:

After raising the 2025 championship banner and receiving their World Series rings, the Dodgers were ready to turn the page on last year and shift their focus solely to what they can accomplish this year. But with the rematch against the Blue Jays coming so early in the season, the past remains relevant for a little while longer. This April series will not make or break the three-peat bid, but it will give us our first look at how these Dodgers perform in a playoff atmosphere.

Blue Jays reporter, Keegan Matheson:

The rest of the American League is looking up at the Blue Jays, but they’re still looking up at the Dodgers. Forget the date, this is a crucial series for the Blue Jays to maintain their hold on the interest of Canadian sports fans, which hasn’t been this strong since the World Series years in 1992-’93. Taking down Ohtani and the Dodgers to kickstart the summer would be gas on the fire.