American League Divisional Series
(No. 1) Toronto Blue Jays def. (No. 2) Seattle Mariners 4-3
The Toronto Blue Jays won their first American League pennant since 1993, defeating the Seattle Mariners 4-3 in a seven-game series. In Game 7, George Springer delivered one of the biggest swings in franchise history, hitting a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning that flipped the score from 1-3 to 4-3, sealing Toronto’s return to the World Series.
Toronto became just the fourth team in MLB history to lose the first two games of a best-of-seven series at home and still come back to win, joining the 1985 Kansas City Royals, 1986 New York Mets, and 1996 New York Yankees, all of whom accomplished the feat in the World Series.
The AL East champion Blue Jays, who won their division for the first time since 2015, defeated the New York Yankees in the Division Series before outlasting Seattle in a classic ALCS matchup. With 94 regular-season wins, one more than the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto will host Game 1 of the World Series at Rogers Centre. The World Series returns to Canada for the third time, with the Blue Jays looking to add to their back-to-back titles from 1992 and 1993.
National League Divisional Series
(No. 3) Los Angeles Dodgers def. (No. 1) Milwaukee Brewers 4-0
The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the World Series for the second consecutive season and the 23rd time in franchise history after sweeping the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in four games. The Dodgers capped their dominant NLCS run with a 5-1 win in Game 4, highlighted by a legendary two-way performance from Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani pitched 6.1 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and allowed just two hits while also hitting three home runs, including one that left Dodger Stadium entirely. His historic performance earned him the NLCS MVP Award and improved the Dodgers’ 9-1 record across the National League playoffs.
Los Angeles has now won 14 pennants since moving from Brooklyn and is seeking to become baseball’s first back-to-back World Series champion in 25 years. The Dodgers will have a week of rest before facing the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the World Series next Friday in Toronto. It marks the Dodgers’ fifth World Series appearance since 2017 and their third championship pursuit in six seasons.
