Dodgers vs. Blue Jays: Ohtani, Pitching vs. Contact

The World Series between defending champion Los Angeles and the Toronto Blue Jays opens Friday at Rogers Centre, giving Toronto home-field advantage in its first Fall Classic since 1993. The matchup is framed as a clash between Los Angeles’s historically high‑strikeout starting rotation — which includes two‑way star Shohei Ohtani — and Toronto’s contact‑heavy, low‑strikeout lineup led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer. The Dodgers enter after sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS and are chasing consecutive championships and a ninth World Series title; Freddie Freeman remains a marquee presence and is in contention for consecutive World Series MVP honors. Ernie Clement has provided a feel‑good breakout for Toronto with a record‑setting hot start to the postseason. Analysts, bettors and national outlets are offering series previews and prop markets ahead of Game 1, and MLB says global postseason viewership is the highest since 2017, buoyed in part by international stars like Ohtani.