We’ve reached the final and the biggest stage of the MLB calendar. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays announced their Game 1 starting pitchers for the World Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Lineup

Left-hander Blake Snell (5-4, 2.35 ERA) will take the mound for Game 1, kicking off a Dodgers rotation that dominated the Brewers in the NLCS. Snell will be followed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, keeping the same lineup for at least the first two World Series games.

Blake Snell is riding high off an incredible start in NLCS Game 1 against the Brewers, pitching eight scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, no walks, and just one hit allowed—facing the minimum. This postseason, he’s been nearly untouchable, going 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA, allowing only two earned runs over 21 innings, and striking out 28 while walking just five.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been absolutely dominant, posting a 1.40 ERA over 10 postseason games and looking almost untouchable this October.

Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Lineup

The Blue Jays will turn to RHP Trey Yesavage (1-0, 3.21 ERA) for Game 1. Despite making just three MLB starts this season, Yesavage is already making his fourth postseason start—a rare feat, as no other pitcher has recorded multiple playoff starts within their first seven career appearances. He’s coming off a strong bounceback in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Mariners, tossing 5⅔ innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts, showcasing his sharp splitter.

Facing the Dodgers’ lineup for the first time, the 22-year-old has the element of surprise on his side, and his deceptive combination of fastball and splitter, released from an unusually high arm angle, could prove a key advantage.

The Blue Jays, known for their patient and powerful approach at the plate, will try to test them.

For Game 1, Toronto is turning to one of the freshest arms in the postseason—Trey Yesavage—who’s been one of the breakout stories of these playoffs and will be making only the seventh start of his MLB career.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Matchup Analysis

At the start of the 2025 season, the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t seem to have much in common. Both were big-market, high-spending teams, but Toronto was coming off a disappointing 74-88 record, while the Dodgers were defending champions. Since Toronto’s last postseason win, Los Angeles had racked up 51 playoff victories and two titles.

The Dodgers had even bested Toronto in previous high-profile pursuits of stars like Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki.

Winning a pennant and having a shot at stopping the Dodgers from becoming the first team in 25 years to repeat is one thing—actually getting it done is another.

Toronto has been praised for getting contributions from all corners of its roster, but the real engine behind the Blue Jays’ postseason success is their offense.

Since the first wild card was added in 1995, 290 teams have made the playoffs—and the 2025 Blue Jays boast the highest wRC+ of any of them at 143. To put that in perspective, a qualified hitter posting a 143 wRC+ this season would rank eighth in MLB, right between Ketel Marte and Pete Alonso. The closest comparison in the past 30 years, the 2007 Boston Red Sox, only reached 135. And they’ve done it without Bo Bichette, who might return for the World Series.

At the start of the playoffs, questions lingered about whether the Blue Jays’ contact-focused approach could hold up against elite October pitching, and their middle-of-the-pack home run total was a potential worry. But Toronto has risen to the occasion.

Their strikeout rate has dropped from 17.8% in the regular season to 14.8%, their isolated slugging has jumped from .162 (roughly league average) to .227, and they’ve hit 20 home runs in just 11 games. Simply put, everything the Blue Jays are doing offensively is clicking right now.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ rotation has been performing at a historic level of its own.

Among those 290 postseason teams, Los Angeles has the lowest rotation ERA for any team lasting more than four games at 1.40.

The quartet of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow has allowed just 29 hits in 64.1 innings, with only two home runs surrendered. Though injuries affected them throughout the season, the Dodgers’ starters have come together at exactly the right moment, each finishing strong and carrying that momentum into the playoffs.