Dodgers Heavy Favorites After 9–1 Postseason

The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the World Series in Toronto as heavy favorites after a dominant 9–1 postseason that included a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. Their run has been powered by a starter-heavy approach — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have thrown roughly 70% of the Dodgers’ playoff innings, combining for a 1.40 ERA while holding opponents to a .132 average — leaving the bullpen lightly used. Still, the Dodgers must improve recurring situational hitting against Toronto’s patient lineup, where converting baserunners into runs could be decisive. The front office’s quiet trade-deadline strategy has been vindicated as October reinforcements emerged internally, and veterans including Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy project urgency to repeat. A third title in six years would cement a modern-day Dodgers dynasty, and Los Angeles is the first defending champion to return to the World Series since 2009.