Daily Double Play: Your MLB Update

## American League Championship Series: Game 7 Recap

The Toronto Blue Jays clinched their first American League pennant since 1993 with a thrilling 4–3 victory over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday night, October 20, 2025. In front of a sold-out Rogers Centre crowd of 44,770, Toronto rallied from an early 3–1 deficit to secure the franchise’s third World Series appearance, and first since back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993 ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/b916d00e6458a825b36c608a77328769?utm_source=openai)). George Springer’s go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning proved historic, marking the first time in MLB history a team trailing by multiple runs in a Game 7 took the lead with a seventh-inning or later homer ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_American_League_Championship_Series?utm_source=openai)).

Seattle struck first when Julio Rodríguez led off Game 7 with a double and scored on a Josh Naylor RBI single. Toronto answered immediately in the bottom of the first, as Daulton Varsho’s RBI single knotted the game at 1–1 ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/mlb/playbyplay/_/gameId/401809289?utm_source=openai)). The Mariners regained the advantage with Rodríguez’s fourth homer of the series in the third and Cal Raleigh’s 60th of the regular season in the fifth, building a 3–1 lead that seemed poised to send Seattle to its first pennant.

## Pivotal Seventh Inning

The decisive rally unfolded in the seventh. Leadoff walks and hits by Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. set the table, and after Andrés Giménez’s sacrifice bunt, Seattle turned to reliever Eduard Bazardo. On Bazardo’s second pitch, Springer crushed a 381-foot drive over the left-field wall, igniting the home crowd and putting Toronto ahead for good at 4–3 ([kbtx.com](https://www.kbtx.com/2025/10/21/springers-homer-sends-blue-jays-into-world-series-with-4-3-win-over-mariners-game-7-alcs/?utm_source=openai)). Kevin Gausman, making his first relief appearance since Game 5 of the 2021 Division Series, navigated a jam to earn the win, and fellow starter Chris Bassitt turned in a perfect eighth inning before Jeff Hoffman sealed the win with a clean ninth, striking out Julio Rodríguez for his second postseason save ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_American_League_Championship_Series?utm_source=openai)).

## Standout Performances and Series MVP

George Springer finished Game 7 with a line of 1-for-3, two runs scored, three RBIs, a walk and a strikeout, his fourth homer of the 2025 postseason increasing his total to nine RBIs in the playoffs ([games.cbssports.com](https://www.games.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/recap/MLB_20251020_SEA%40TOR/?utm_source=openai)). Daulton Varsho led all Jays with two hits among Toronto’s ten-hit attack, and every Blue Jays starter recorded at least one hit during the contest ([bluebirdbanter.com](https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/game-recaps/59338/springer-homers-jays-go-to-the-world-series?utm_source=openai)). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was honored as ALCS MVP after batting .385 (10-for-26) with three home runs, three doubles and four walks over the seven-game series, cementing his reputation as one of baseball’s most clutch postseason performers ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/blue-jays-star-vladimir-guerrero-jr-bags-alcs-mvp-honor--flm-2025-10-21/?utm_source=openai)).

## National League Championship Series Recap

A few days earlier, on Friday, October 17, the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers to capture their second consecutive National League pennant. The Dodgers’ 5–1 victory in Game 4 was highlighted by an all-time performance from Shohei Ohtani, who combined six scoreless innings on the mound with three mammoth home runs at the plate ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401809293/brewers-dodgers?utm_source=openai)). This marked the first NLCS sweep since 2019, as Los Angeles allowed just one run per game, and limited the Brewers to an astonishing .118 collective batting average, the lowest ever in a postseason series of at least three games ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_National_League_Championship_Series?utm_source=openai)).

## Shohei Ohtani’s Historic Night

In Game 4, Ohtani struck out ten Brewers over six innings and became the first MLB pitcher ever to lead off a playoff game with a home run. He then followed with a 469-foot shot that cleared Dodger Stadium in the fourth inning and added a third solo homer in the seventh, finishing 3 for 3 with a walk, three RBIs and three runs scored at the plate, while on the mound posting two hits allowed and three walks ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401809293/brewers-dodgers?utm_source=openai)). His performance earned NLCS MVP honors and propelled the Dodgers to their fifth NL pennant since 2017.

## World Series Preview

With the pennant races decided, the stage is set for a marquee World Series matchup beginning Friday, October 24, at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The defending champion Dodgers, winners of 93 games in the regular season, will travel north to face the Blue Jays, who secured home-field advantage with a 94-win campaign. Fox will broadcast Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET, with Joe Davis and John Smoltz in the booth and Ken Rosenthal alongside Tom Verducci reporting ([foxsports.com](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/2025-mlb-playoff-bracket-updated-scores-schedule-game-7-alcs?utm_source=openai)). The best-of-seven series will shift to Dodger Stadium for Games 3 and 4 on October 27 and 28, before returning to Toronto for potential Games 5–7.

## Dodgers’ Kiké Hernández Approaches Postseason Record

Dodgers outfielder and infielder Kiké Hernández is poised to tie Justin Turner for the most postseason games played in Dodgers history, entering the World Series with 86 career playoff appearances. Known for his versatility and October heroics, Hernández has posted a .282/.356/.506 slash line with 15 home runs and a 132 wRC+ over 96 postseason games. He has already set a team record with 32 NLCS games played, and a prolonged World Series run could propel him into the top ten all-time in franchise history ([truebluela.com](https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-history-records/106096/dodgers-enrique-hernandez-postseason-record-record?utm_source=openai)).

As baseball fans across North America prepare for the Fall Classic, all eyes will be on Springer’s clutch heroics, Ohtani’s unprecedented two-way prowess, and Hernández’s milestone chase, ensuring that the 2025 World Series promises to be one for the ages.