Dodgers win game seven thriller to take back-to-back World Series crowns

The Los Angeles Dodgers have pulled off a remarkable win in game seven of the World Series to become the first Major League Baseball team in 25 years to win consecutive titles.

Game seven went down to the wire and was not short of thrilling moments and spectacular plays; a fitting finish to an incredibly tight and exciting series.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith provided the game-winning home run in the 11th inning as his team beat the Blue Jays in Toronto despite trailing 3-0 and 4-2 earlier in the match. It was the first time Los Angeles led in the game.

Smith’s heroics came after his teammate Miguel Rojas tied the game in the ninth inning with a home run of his own and centre fielder Andy Pages took a jumping, backhand catch right up against the wall as he crashed into left fielder Kike Hernandez. Had Pages not held on to the ball, the Blue Jays, who had the bases loaded, would have been able to score the match- – and series – winning run.

Bo Bichette put Toronto ahead in the third inning with a three-run homer off two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who was pitching on three days’ rest after taking the loss in game three.

LA closed to 3-2 on sacrifice flies from Teoscar Hernandez in the fourth off Max Scherzer and Tommy Edman in the sixth against Chris Bassitt.

Andres Gimenez restored Toronto’s two-run lead with an RBI double in the sixth off Tyler Glasnow, who relieved after getting the final three outs on three pitches to save game six on Friday.

Max Muncy’s eighth-inning homer off star rookie Trey Yesavage cut the Dodgers’ deficit to one run, and Rojas, inserted into the line-up in game six to provide some energy, homered on a full-count slider from Jeff Hoffman.

Toronto put two on with one out in the bottom half against Blake Snell.

It was then that World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto entered the match. He had thrown 96 pitches in the Dodgers’ win on Saturday (AEDT). But he managed to escape a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and pitched two and two thirds of an innings for his third win of the series.

His ninth-inning appearance was dramatic. He hit Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk on a hand with a pitch, loading the bases and prompting the Dodgers to play the infield in and the outfield shallow. Daulton Varsho grounded to second, where Rojas stumbled but managed to throw home for a force-out as catcher Smith kept his foot on the plate.

Pages’ game-saving catch sent the game to an extra innings, and it wasn’t until the 11th inning that the deadlock could be broken.

Heading into the bottom of the 11th with a one-run lead, Yamamoto gave up a lead-off double to Vladimir Guerrero jnr, who moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Addison Barger walked, but Kirk grounded to shortstop Mookie Betts, who started a title-winning double play and sparked Dodger celebrations.

AP