The Los Angeles Dodgers captured their ninth World Series title in their 23rd appearance Saturday night, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings in Game Seven on Canadian soil at Rogers Centre.
The Dodgers became the first team in Major League Baseball history to start their season in another country and end it outside the United States.
The Blue Jays opened the 2025 regular season at the Tokyo Dome on March 18 against the Chicago Cubs, winning 4-1 in the first game of the year.
Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto was named 2025 World Series MVP after three appearances and two starts, throwing 17.2 innings with a 1.02 ERA, one complete game, 15 strikeouts, and a .169 opponent batting average.
The 12 Latino-born players who will receive their championship rings by 2026 Opening Day.
Cuba
Andy Pagés
Dominican Republic
Teoscar Hernández
Esteury Ruiz
Luis García
José Ureña
Julián Fernández
Puerto Rico
Enrique “Kiké” Hernández
Eddie Rosario
Alexis Díaz
Venezuela
Miguel Rojas
Edgardo Henríquez
Yoendrys Gómez
Two Will Smiths have now combined for six consecutive World Series titles since 2020.
FOR THE SIXTH STRAIGHT YEAR, “WILL SMITH” HAS WON THE WORLD SERIES 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZhQf6byiHq
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 2, 2025
This year’s Dodgers also became the first MLB roster to feature three Japanese-born World Series champions: Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, and Yamamoto.
For the first time ever, three 🇯🇵 Japanese-born players won the same World Series:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Shohei Ohtani
Roki Sasaki pic.twitter.com/xLXMhNMVYK— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 2, 2025
Yamamoto is the second Japanese-born player to win World Series MVP, following Hideki Matsui’s 2009 performance with the New York Yankees.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the second Japan-born player to win the World Series MVP award, after Hideki Matsui (2009). pic.twitter.com/uurWT1AfKT
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 2, 2025
He has now captured major titles at every level — 2023 World Baseball Classic, 2022 Japan Series, 2020 Olympics, and 2019 WBSC Premier12 — along with multiple NPB All-Star nods and Eiji Sawamura Awards.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has won the:
2019 Premier12
2021 Tokyo Olympics
2022 Japan Series
2023 World Baseball Classic
2024 World Series
2025 World SeriesAt 27 years old, he is already one of the winningest players in world baseball history. 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/grPv5EJ7gw
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) November 2, 2025
Dodgers infielder Ha-Seong Kim became the second South Korean-born player to win a World Series, following Byung-hyun Kim of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.
Shohei Ohtani joined an exclusive list of international Game Seven starters — Yu Darvish (Japan, 2017), Livan Hernández (Cuba, 2002), Joaquín Andújar (Dominican Republic, 1982), and Mike Cuellar (Cuba, 1971).
Shohei Ohtani is the 5th player born outside the United States to start a Game 7 of the World Series.
The last two to do so were born in Japan. pic.twitter.com/KH9ZSIlqzW
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 1, 2025
Cuban outfielder Andy Pagés became the second Cuban-born player — after Orlando “El Duque” Hernández — to win multiple World Series titles in his first two MLB seasons.
With the 2026 MLB season just 143 days away and the World Baseball Classic 123 days out, baseball’s international momentum continues to grow.
2026 World Baseball Classic Schedule Guide & Winter League Website Ledger
FOX Sports will broadcast 47 games, including 28 in Spanish across FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes, and Tubi. The 2023 championship between Japan and the United States peaked at 6.5 million U.S. viewers, when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to secure Japan’s third title.
Japan leads all nations with three WBC championships (2006, 2009, 2023). The United States (2017) and Dominican Republic (2013) have each claimed one.
Photo: People watch the live broadcasting of the Game 7 of the baseball World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays in Oshu, northeastern Japan, the hometown of the Dodger’s Shohei Ohtani, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Koji Ueda)
