LOS ANGELES -- Let’s take this outside.
After two bitter battles under the Rogers Centre roof that resulted in a split, the 2025 World Series heads for the hills for Game 3 on Monday night. Dodger Stadium will welcome back its boys in blue, whose 5-1 victory in Game 2 was a reminder of the formula that had served them so well when they ran roughshod over the National League playoff field.
It’s the starters, the starters, the starters.
“They're all number ones,” catcher Will Smith said. “All four of those guys.”
Blake Snell didn’t have it in Game 1, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto had “it” and then some in a complete-game gem in Game 2.
Now, it’s on Tyler Glasnow to follow the formula, go deep into the game and not let the dangerous Blue Jays’ bats sniff blood in the L.A. bullpen.
Speaking of sniffing blood, it’s Mad Max on the other side. We saw a vintage, entertainingly angry outing from Max Scherzer in the ALCS, and now the 41-year-old expected future Hall of Famer returns to Dodger Stadium, where he starred for L.A. after the 2021 Trade Deadline, looking to fight off Father Time once again.
“I'm here to compete,” he said. “I'm here to win.”
The winner here will have the math on their side. Teams that have grabbed a 2-1 lead at home have prevailed in the series 29 of 48 times (60.4%), while teams doing so on the road have prevailed 31 of 41 times (75.7%).
When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 3 is live on FOX.
All series are available in the US on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada. Sportsnet is MLB's exclusive English language broadcaster in Canada for every Postseason game, while TVA Sports will be covering the entire AL Postseason and the World Series in French and Broadcaster RDS will cover the entire NL Postseason in French.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Blue Jays: RHP Max Scherzer (5-5, 5.19 ERA)
Scherzer gets the start, which could also line him up for a potential Game 7 back in Toronto if this Series goes the distance. While he struggled down the stretch in the regular season and was left off the ALDS roster against the Yankees, Scherzer came back with an incredible and memorable performance against the Mariners in the ALCS. Scherzer held Seattle to two runs over 5 2/3 innings, dancing around some danger while giving the baseball world another glimpse of Mad Max. This will be Scherzer’s biggest test yet, though, against the team he went to the NLCS with in 2021.
Dodgers: RHP Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.19 ERA)
After having to watch from the sidelines during last year's World Series run, Glasnow takes the ball hoping to help the Dodgers to a 2-1 Series lead. He's put together a solid run this postseason, striking out eight in back-to-back starts and allowing just one run in 13 1/3 innings (0.68 ERA). Glasnow had to miss a significant chunk of time this year with inflammation in his right shoulder, but he came back strong upon returning in July, posting a 2.86 ERA across his final 13 starts.
What are the starting lineups?
Blue Jays: Bo Bichette will start at second in Game 3, manager John Schneider said Sunday. Whether he’ll play the full game remains to be seen, as the Blue Jays eventually removed him from Game 1 for a pinch-runner in a key spot, but we should see him play at least parts of all three games in L.A.
- George Springer, DH
- Nathan Lukes, LF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
- Bo Bichette, 2B
- Daulton Varsho, CF
- Alejandro Kirk, C
- Addison Barger, RF
- Ernie Clement, 3B
- Andrés Giménez, SS
Dodgers: Facing a righty in Scherzer, the Dodgers will stay with their MVP trio of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman as their first three batters. Roberts has been contemplating making a change at the bottom of the lineup by sitting a slumping Andy Pages, but there was no change with the center fielder getting the nod over Alex Call.
- Shohei Ohtani, DH
- Mookie Betts, SS
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Will Smith, C
- Max Muncy, 3B
- Teoscar Hernández, RF
- Tommy Edman, 2B
- Kiké Hernández, LF
- Andy Pages, CF
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Blue Jays: After the off-day, the bullpen will be fully available to Schneider and he’ll surely go back to Louis Varland, who has pitched in nearly every game this postseason and is often Toronto’s first move out of the bullpen in big moments. The big factor is how the Blue Jays handle Ohtani, a job that Mason Fluharty handled well in Game 1. The Blue Jays have also shown a willingness to be aggressive with Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Domínguez, their two top relievers on the back end. If Ohtani, Betts and Freeman come up in the seventh instead of the eighth or ninth, Schneider won’t hesitate to be aggressive. Lastly, keep Chris Bassitt in mind as the bullpen wild card. His stuff has ticked up in a couple of postseason bullpen performances, and the Blue Jays trust him fully on this stage.
Dodgers: Yamamoto gave the bullpen an extended rest by going the distance again in Game 2, so everyone should be available. Roki Sasaki has emerged as the closer after dominating since his shift to the 'pen. The bridge to Sasaki is the question mark for the Dodgers. They would like to use Emmet Sheehan and Anthony Banda in leverage, but both gave up three runs in the sixth inning of Game 1. Blake Treinen and Jack Dreyer could be options in big spots as well. The Dodgers expect to be without Alex Vesia for the World Series as he and his wife handle what the team described as a "deeply personal family matter."
Any injuries of note?
Blue Jays: Bichette’s left knee sprain had been looming over this team, but he was activated for the World Series and has played in both games, including his first big league appearance at second base in Game 1. In Game 3, Bichette will start at second base again.
Anthony Santander was removed from the Blue Jays’ ALCS roster in the middle of the series with a back injury, which makes him ineligible for the World Series. Springer is the only other injury of note after he took a 96 mph heater off his right kneecap in Game 5 of the ALCS, but judging by the heroic three-run homer he hit in Game 7, he is just fine.
Dodgers: Smith, who is dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand, returned to the starting lineup during the NLDS and hasn’t missed a start since. Tommy Edman continues to manage his right ankle, which landed him on the injured list twice this year. Reliever Tanner Scott was not included on the World Series roster as he continues to recover from a lower body abscess procedure.
Who is hot and who is not?
Blue Jays: Springer ripped a double into the left-field corner in Game 2, but that was the only time the Blue Jays’ offense felt threatening. Yamamoto was simply dominant, so we shouldn’t read too deeply into this as a poor performance from Toronto’s lineup, but it needs to bounce back immediately against Glasnow.
That responsibility will fall to Guerrero (batting .431) and Ernie Clement (.429), who has been one of the breakout stars of this postseason for the Blue Jays. Kirk was just heating up, too, with a 3-for-3 performance in Game 1, and Barger showed us all what he’s capable of with the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.
Dodgers: Smith continued to stay hot with a homer and an RBI single in Game 2. He's hitting .314 since returning to the lineup during the NLDS. Ohtani picked up another hit and is progressing in the right direction, but he's still hitting just .224 this postseason.
Pages singled in Game 2 for his first World Series hit, which was just his fourth hit this postseason (.093). Roberts said he is considering sitting Pages amid his slump, although the Dodgers would likely have to put a lesser defender in center field as a result.
Anything else fans might want to know?
• This is the Blue Jays’ first trip to the World Series since 1993.
• Springer won the 2017 World Series MVP Award at Dodger Stadium. He launched five home runs in that Series and had some of the biggest moments of his young career on this exact field, including a three-run homer in Game 7.
• These will be the final games at Dodger Stadium for Clayton Kershaw, who has announced his retirement at the end of the season.