by Megan Garcia
It took another lineup shakeup for the Dodger offense to finally break through with positive results. The three runs by the Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series were just enough to extend their season.
Now, a day later, in a do-or-die Game 7, that same starting lineup will go against Blue Jays’ starter Max Scherzer and the rest of Toronto’s pitching contingency. Trey Yesavage (Game 1 and 5 starter) and reliever Jeff Hoffman loom in the shadows behind him.
The key differences in Friday’s Game 6 Dodger lineup were Mookie Betts dropping to fourth and Miguel Rojas getting his first start in the Fall Classic at second base. Will Smith remained as the №2 hitter after the Dodgers’ initial lineup shakeup in Game 5.
But there is a recognition within the entire group that while three may have been enough for Game 6, the desire for more consistency and production is there.
“If we didn’t win, we wouldn’t be here today. At the end of the day, we had one good inning,” Kiké Hernández said of Game 6. “It seems like that’s been the theme throughout this World Series.
“We were able to score three in one inning and what I take from that is that we were able to get two big hits with runners in scoring position, which has been a struggle for us to come in and get base hits with runners in scoring position. So hopefully tonight we can do the same thing.”
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Smith started the scoring with an RBI double in the third inning on Friday. Betts’ two-run single capped off the inning to give the Dodgers a 3–0 lead. For the shortstop, it was a long-awaited breakthrough at the plate after going 3-for-23 in five games.
Rojas was hitless in three at-bats, but he was pivotal at second base with a thrilling, game-ending double play. With Rojas starting at second, Tommy Edman took over in center field. Edman, 3-for-21 in the World Series coming into Game 6, doubled and scored a run.
“Miggy played the heck out of second base and made some huge plays. We were hoping for that kind of energy infusion tonight. We got that from Miggy,” said manager Dave Robers during postgame on Friday. “And then Mookie. I liked him. We talked about letting the game come to him a little bit and he got a huge hit for us.”
The lineup that faced Scherzer in Game 3 went 5-for-17 and drove in three runs against him. They knocked him out in the fifth inning with one out and a runner on first. The Dodgers were able to tie the Blue Jays, 4–4, in the inning.
They went on to win Game 3 in the 18-inning thriller in Los Angeles.
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“Game 7, obviously, a little bit different. There’s a few more road maps to kind of hammer out. But it starts with Max,” said Blue Jays manager John Schnieder. “You’ve got to kind of see what he’s doing, see how hitters are reacting. There’s definitely certain guys that we want to face certain parts of their lineup, and you’ve got to just figure out when those spots come up.”
Shohei Ohtani, who is starting on the mound in Game 7, went 2-for-2 against Scherzer with a double and a home run. Teoscar Hernández hit a solo home run off a Scherzer slider in the second inning.
“We’ve got to come out aggressive,” Kiké Hernández said. “If he’s struggling with command, then we take a step back. But I’m sure he’s going to come in pounding the strike zone, so we’ve got to stay aggressive and then let the game dictate what the approach should be.”
2025 World Series: New energy, now Dodgers seek more production from lineup was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.