The Los Angeles Dodgers have made it back to the World Series for the second year in a row. The road there has been anything but easy. In fact, most would say that they underperformed for most of the regular season. As a result, they had to play in the Wild Card Series. However, they have reached the cusp of another title, having won nine of their last 10, including sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers, who had the best record in baseball coming into the postseason. Now, they are set to battle the Toronto Blue Jays starting Friday night. Here are four keys to another World Series title for the Dodgers.
Four Keys to a Second Straight World Series Title for the Dodgers
The Starting Rotation Must Be Stellar
The starting rotation has been nothing but spectacular in the 2025 postseason. Now that they are healthy, it should be no surprise that Dodgers starters who posted an Earned Run Average of 2.00 down the stretch in the regular season have been even better during October baseball. They have posted a combined ERA of 1.54 in 10 games. However, it was even better in the National League Championship Series against the Brewers. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani had an ERA under 1.00. It would be unreasonable to expect that the rotation will replicate that, especially against a dangerous Blue Jays lineup. But the adage remains true, “Good pitching always stops good hitting.” If the Dodgers’ starters can manage to get through six innings and allow three runs or less, it will be a huge factor in winning it all.
Capitalize on Scoring Chances
The Dodgers have had a week off between games. It will no doubt be a benefit to the pitching staff. However, the layoff could affect the offense. To be fair, the Dodgers weren’t exactly tearing the cover off the baseball in the NLCS. Los Angeles was a tepid 6-for-35 with runners in scoring position against the Brewers. That works out to a .174 batting average. Fortunately, they were able to hit enough home runs to offset the lack of production. Thank you, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani. The route to another ring would be easier if the Dodgers hit at least .250 when they have runners in scoring position.
Don’t Give Toronto Extra Outs
The Blue Jay offense is potent. Therefore, it is important for Los Angeles to play good defense. In the two previous series, they were able to do that for the most part. Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas made some stellar plays at the hot corner to stifle potential rallies. But in the instances they made errors, it inevitably led to multiple runs. If the Dodgers want a repeat of a World Series Championship, they can’t afford to give the Blue Jays extra opportunities to score.
Max Muncy delivers a defensive gem to cut down a run at the plate ? pic.twitter.com/eBS2Or7yaU
— MLB (@MLB) October 16, 2025
Contain Vlad the Impaler (of Baseballs)
Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having an incredible postseason thus far. He is hitting .442 with six homers, several of those in pivotal moments. If the Dodgers want to win the final series of the year, they can’t let Vlad beat them with his bat.
The Dodgers stand just four wins away from the first back-to-back World Series championships in 25 years. Now, can they pull it off?
Main Photo Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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