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Game Six! The Toronto Blue Jays were this close to the finish line—just one step away from breaking their 32-year-old championship drought. But then, with “a fly ball to shallow left field, a catch and heady throw to double an aggressive young player off second base,” as described by Bob Nightengale from USA TODAY, the mighty Dodgers reminded everyone why they are still baseball’s gold standard.

Terrell Owens holding Dude Wipes XL

They powered past Toronto 3-1 to even out the World Series and force a Game 7. This is what no one north of the border wanted to see! But for some, that Game 6 win might just have changed the momentum of “who is most likely to win.”

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Now the experts are saying LA might simply take the win and walk away again. ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle said, “It’s the Dodgers’ baseball world, and the other 29 teams are just tenants. I don’t really believe that, but I do believe that the Blue Jays’ best chance to win was Friday.” And well, much of it does make sense.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are the most expensive baseball team ever and have a roster that’s stacked with MVPs and million-dollar arms. When you do that, expectations rise, and to perform in accordance is what those players want to do the most.

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Will Smith had delivered in Game 2 royally, then Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman carried the marathon on Game 3, and on Friday, it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mookie Betts, Tyler Glasnow, and Kiké Hernández, who stole the show.

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Now, Jays will have to navigate a lineup that is waking, and a pitching staff that can roll out Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, and Blake Snell all in the same game. And maybe that is why they have come to be known as the “evil empire of baseball.” It can make even the best of the teams look outmatched. The snub, of course, is a heartbreak for Toronto.

But in baseball, there is probably nothing called momentum.

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As Earl Weaver had said, “Momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher.” Because remember, if momentum meant anything, why would the Dodgers lose the next two games after winning the 18-inning marathon of a game?

Right now, the silver lining is that the only pitcher that most were worried about has already pitched: Yamamoto.

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But that doesn’t mean danger is done!

Momentum? Meet Game 7: Max Scherzer vs. Shohei Ohtani showdown

If momentum really is the next day’s starting pitcher, then Game 7 of this World Series has all the electricity that it needs.

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For the Toronto Blue Jays, it is Max Scherzer who will start. The 41-year-old is making his second career World Series Game 7 start after 2019 as a National (against the Astros). Mad Max, just like his eyes, is intimidating, a veteran presence, and given this might be his final big stage act, might give it his everything. He went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts this season. Then he didn’t pitch between March 29 and June 25 because of his thumb inflammation.

Now it is important to remember this is Scherzer’s fourth WS start, and he is the first pitcher to do it all with different teams. Culminating those four starts, he has a 1-0 record and a 3.26 ERA.

And across the diamond for the Dodgers is none other than Shohei Ohtani.

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While he has not been officially named the starter, given Tyler Glasnow’s late appearance in Game 6 and the severity of the game, Ohtani might step onto the mound. Roberts did mention Ohtani is “definitely part of the pitching plan,” whether for two innings or four. He had pitched in Game 4 and had three days of rest. And if you ask Mookie Betts, there is no better script than this.

“I feel like the way Shohei’s life is set up is just destiny, you know? Like, every time … the perfect situation comes up, and he succeeds. And so tomorrow, Game 7, I mean, how could you draw it up any different, you know? So, I feel like this is the perfect moment for him. He was made for this moment, and I’m glad he’s on our team, and we don’t have to go against him.”

Right now, everyone is available because every arm, every inning, and every pitch can decide history.

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Written by

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Sagarika Das

1,848 Articles

Sagarika Das is a Senior MLB Writer at EssentiallySports, bringing four years of professional experience and a strong journalism background to her role at the Baseball GameDay Desk. She has covered major events like the World Series, Off-Season, and Trade Deadline, earning a place in EssentiallySports’ Journalistic Excellence Program, an in-house initiative that trains writers under industry experts to sharpen their reporting and storytelling skills. Sagarika also mentors junior reporters through structured peer reviews, helping to elevate the entire team’s quality and consistency. Known for delivering stories that inform and resonate, she focuses on rising stars, high-stakes postseason drama, and the narratives that connect fans more deeply with the game. Outside the newsroom, she enjoys reading, traveling, and creating social media vlogs, always seeking the next story to tell.

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Ahana Chatterjee

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