Five Takeaways From The Dodgers' Instant Classic World Series Game 3 Win

Well, that was thing short of unbelievable.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays gave america an instant classical Monday nighttime successful Game 3 of nan 2025 World Series, though it took a agelong clip to get there. After 18 grueling innings, Freddie Freeman sent everyone astatine Dodger Stadium location happy pinch a walk-off explosive successful nan bottommost of nan 18th inning, giving L.A. a 6–5 triumph and a 2–1 lead successful nan series.

Monday night's title was 1 of nan champion World Series games we've seen successful years. A back-and-forth matter that saw respective immense plays and conscionable arsenic galore blunders. And it ended pinch a classic, walk-off infinitesimal that will guidelines nan trial of time.

It was nan benignant of crippled that reminds america why we emotion baseball.

Can this feline get immoderate much clutch? Freeman won Game 1 of nan 2025 World Series pinch a walk-off expansive slam successful nan 10th inning, and was backmost astatine it again Monday night. He launched a 3–2 transportation from Brendon Little complete nan halfway section wall to springiness nan Dodgers an tremendous triumph and a 2–1 lead successful nan series.

Freeman hasn't had nan champion postseason. Before Game 3, he was slashing .222/.340/.400, pinch a solo homer representing his only RBI successful 12 games. But erstwhile L.A. needed him nan most, he was there, coming up pinch 1 of nan biggest hits successful franchise history. Again.

With each nan ink Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts get, it's easy to hide Freeman is simply a erstwhile MVP himself. He's a nine-time All-Star, nan 2020 National League MVP and was nan MVP of nan 2024 World Series. Moments for illustration nan 1 he created Monday nighttime are a reminder that he’ll almost surely extremity up successful nan Hall of Fame.

Eric Lauer and Will Klein were phenomenal

In an 18-inning game, teams request pitchers to measurement up, and some teams sewage stellar performances from their bullpens, particularly from lesser-known guys.

Blue Jays lefty Eric Lauer entered nan crippled pinch 1 retired successful nan bottommost of nan 12th inning and proceeded to spell 4 2/3 shutout innings, while allowing 2 hits and 4 walks, and striking retired two. He walked a tightrope astatine times, but threw 68 pitches and battled his measurement done nan Dodgers' powerful lineup respective times. In nan end, he recorded arsenic galore outs arsenic Max Scherzer, who started nan crippled for Toronto. Lauer was phenomenal and kept his squad successful nan crippled and fighting.

On nan different side, Dodgers righty Will Klein was outstanding successful conscionable his 2nd postseason appearance. The 25-year-old tossed 4 shutout innings, allowing 1 hit, 2 walks, and striking retired four. He was exceptional and kept nan Blue Jays' lineup off-balance. He yet earned nan triumph for his efforts.

Klein's erstwhile precocious for pitches thrown successful an outing this twelvemonth was 36. He threw 72 connected Monday night. He earned a well-deserved time disconnected connected Tuesday.

There are nary words for really bully Shohei Ohtani is and really he tin wholly wreck a game. On Monday night, he was astatine his absolute champion astatine nan plate, going 4-for-4 pinch 2 location runs and 2 doubles. But it gets better.

Ohtani came to nan sheet successful nan bottommost of nan seventh pinch Toronto starring 5–4 pinch 1 retired and nan bases empty. He was already 3-for-3 pinch a location tally and 2 doubles, yet for immoderate logic nan Blue Jays allowed Seranthony Dominguez to onslaught him. Big mistake. Ohtani launched nan first transportation he saw into nan left-center section stands to necktie nan crippled 5–5, wherever it stayed for what felt for illustration 3 days.

That was capable for Blue Jays head John Schneider, who decided to locomotion Ohtani successful each at-bat aft that. Four came via nan intentional variety, and 1 was each but connected purpose. Frankly, I'd beryllium shocked if Ohtani sees a decent transportation pinch first guidelines quiet nan remainder of nan series.

The soon-to-be four-time MVP reached guidelines a postseason grounds nine times successful Game 3. We saw a batch of crazy things Monday night, but thing topped that stat.

John Schneider over-managed nan game, and it costs Toronto

The decisions managers make are put nether a microscope during extra-inning games, and whether it's adjacent aliases not, Schneider is getting that curen here.

In a portion of bad luck, George Springer exited nan crippled successful nan seventh inning aft suffering an injury. Then, aft Bo Bichette deed an RBI azygous to people Vladimir Guerrero Jr. later that frame, Toronto's head pulled his second-best hitter, utilizing Isiah Kiner-Falefa to tally for him. That move was understandable. The Blue Jays had a 5–4 lead, and Bichette conscionable returned from a knee injury. Kiner-Falefa went 0-for-4 pinch 2 strikeouts and a locomotion complete nan adjacent 11 innings. In hindsight, it whitethorn not person been nan champion move, but it was astatine slightest understandable. A fewer others were not.

Addison Barger has been connected occurrence successful nan postseason, and successful nan apical of nan eighth, he reached connected a throwing correction by Mookie Betts. With nan people 5–5, Schneider opted to propulsion him successful favour of nan faster Myles Straw. It seemed for illustration a bad thought astatine nan clip and is worse successful hindsight. Straw coiled up stranded connected 3rd base, past complete nan people of nan adjacent 10 innings, he went 0-for-4 and looked mostly helpless astatine nan plate, including erstwhile he popped retired connected an attempted bunt successful nan 12th inning. Toronto missed Barger successful those spots.

Schneider's astir egregious move came successful nan apical of nan 12th aft catcher Alejandro Kirk walked to commencement nan inning. He brought successful nan faster Tyler Heineman to pinch tally for his prima catcher, past watched arsenic Straw grounded to bunt him over. Heineman coiled up stranded astatine third, and nan Blue Jays mislaid 1 of their champion hitters, not to mention 1 of nan champion protect catchers successful baseball. In nan apical of nan 18th, Heineman came to nan sheet pinch runners connected first and 2nd and 2 outs, and struck retired to extremity nan inning. That should person been Kirk.

Straw and Heineman mixed to spell 0-for-7 pinch 2 strikeouts aft entering nan game. It's a reminder that it's a unspeakable thought to return retired your champion bats successful a necktie game. Schneider simply outsmarted himself by overthinking and over-managing. It costs nan Blue Jays.

George Springer suffered what appeared to beryllium an oblique wounded while fouling disconnected a transportation successful nan seventh inning. The 36-year-old has been tremendous for nan Blue Jays this season, and if he's out, it is simply a monolithic rustle to nan team's lineup.

Springer turned backmost nan timepiece successful 2025, arsenic he vanished nan play slashing .309/.339/.593 pinch 32 location runs, 84 RBIs, 106 runs, a career-best wRC+ of 166 and 5.2 fWAR. He had continued that momentum successful nan postseason, arsenic he's slashed .246/.323/.571 pinch 4 location runs, 9 RBIs and a wRC+ of 153.

We don't definitively cognize if Springer will miss time, but if it is an oblique injury, it could extremity his season. Losing his bat for nan remainder of Game 3 wounded Toronto, losing him for nan remainder of nan World Series could beryllium devastating. With Bo Bichette already hobbled, injuries are piling up for nan Blue Jays' lineup.

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