Yoshinobu Yamamoto shut down Toronto with 14 straight retired, while Smith and Muncy’s back-to-back homers powered the Dodgers to a 5–1 win in Game 2.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto shut down the Toronto Blue Jays with 14 consecutive retired batters at one point, while Will Smith and Max Muncy delivered back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to power the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5–1 win in Game 2 of the 2025 World Series.
The victory evened the series at one game apiece as the matchup shifts to Los Angeles. Yamamoto’s complete-game performance was the defining force of the night — a clinical, suffocating display that held Toronto to four hits and a single run, with no walks and eight strikeouts over 105 pitches.
His ability to completely neutralize Toronto’s offense contrasted sharply with Game 1’s high-scoring atmosphere and ensured that momentum swung decisively back toward the Dodgers.
Early Game Action
The Dodgers opened the scoring quickly, capitalizing in the first inning when Freddie Freeman doubled and came home on Will Smith’s RBI single to center.
Toronto responded in the third, starting with George Springer reaching base and advancing to third on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s single. Springer then scored on an Alejandro Kirk sacrifice fly, tying the game 1–1.
This was the Blue Jays’ only scoring moment of the night. Toronto’s best early opportunity actually came in the first inning, when they placed runners on the corners with one out, but Yamamoto escaped without allowing damage.
After the third inning, the Jays generated no further chances, as Yamamoto settled into a dominant rhythm that shut down their bats entirely.
Seventh-Inning Turning Point
Entering the seventh inning, Kevin Gausman had been sharp, retiring 16 consecutive Dodgers beginning early in the second inning and carrying that streak through six full frames and one additional batter.
That run ended abruptly when Will Smith jumped on a 95 mph fastball and drove it 404 feet to left field, giving Los Angeles a 2–1 lead and stunning the Rogers Centre crowd. Immediately afterward, Max Muncy followed with a 351-foot home run to left, extending the lead to 3–1 and ending Gausman’s night after 6.2 strong innings with six strikeouts, no walks, and only four hits allowed.
The two-swing momentum shift was the decisive jolt the Dodgers had been searching for, completely reversing the tone of a game that had remained tense and balanced through most of the night.
Yamamoto’s Dominant Outing
While the seventh-inning home runs supplied the fireworks, Yamamoto’s pitching defined the game. After allowing a handful of early baserunners, he completely locked down the Jays from the fourth inning onward.
Between the third and eighth innings, Yamamoto retired 14 straight batters and surrendered only one baserunner after Toronto tied the game. His command of the strike zone was relentless: 73 strikes on 105 pitches, with 17 called strikes, 17 swinging strikes, and 16 foul balls.
The Jays’ offense, explosive in Game 1, looked increasingly frustrated and defensive as the innings wore on, unable to adjust to Yamamoto’s splitter and fastball sequencing.
By the late innings, Yamamoto’s pace and precision drained any remaining energy from the Toronto lineup, turning the final frames into a formality.
Dodgers Add Insurance Late
The Dodgers created essential breathing room in the eighth inning. Andy Pages opened the frame with a single, followed by another single from Shohei Ohtani.
Mookie Betts drew a walk to load the bases with none out, and a wild pitch from reliever Jeff Hoffman allowed Pages to score and push the Dodgers’ advantage to 4–1. After an intentional walk to Freeman, Smith grounded into a fielder’s choice that brought Ohtani home, extending the lead to 5–1.
Given Yamamoto’s control and efficiency, the extra runs made the remaining outs feel academic, sealing the Dodgers’ grip on the game.
Toronto’s Missed Opportunities
For Toronto, the loss was less a collapse than an unavoidable collision with a dominant pitcher. After their 11-run surge in Game 1, the Jays managed just four hits in Game 2 and failed to reach base after the third inning.
Their only substantive rally came in the first and third innings — both of which Yamamoto calmly escaped. The bullpen held reasonably steady, but the offense never rediscovered its rhythm, leaving the Jays without a realistic path back into the game once the Dodgers seized the lead.
Rather than a breakdown, it was simply the wrong night to face a pitcher who had total command of his arsenal.
Series Heads to Los Angeles Tied 1–1
With the win, the Dodgers head home with renewed confidence and restored momentum, while the Blue Jays face the challenge of securing at least one road victory to bring the series back to Toronto.
Game 1 raised the city’s hopes; Game 2 grounded them again. Now, as the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3, both teams start fresh — and the fight for control continues under the California lights.