Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Dodgers Outlast Blue Jays in Marathon Game 3 Thriller

By EDDIE RIVERA

Dodgers celebrate after a towering home run from Freddie Freeman beats the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-5, in game 3 of the World Series. Dodgers lead series, 2-1. Photo from MLB/Dodgers.com.

18th-inning home run from Freddie Freeman, and another historic Ohtani performance, give Dodgers 2-1 lead in the World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays in a grueling 18-inning epic Monday night at Dodger Stadium, winning 6–5 on Freddie Freeman’s walk-off home run and taking a 2–1 lead in the World Series.

The game, which stretched past midnight and into the early hours of Tuesday, clocked in at six hours and 39 minutes — the second-longest in World Series history. It was a night of endurance, emotion, and extraordinary performances, none more so than Shohei Ohtani’s.

Ohtani, the Dodgers’ two-way superstar, turned in one of the most astonishing individual efforts ever seen in a Fall Classic. He reached base nine times — a World Series record — and crushed two home runs, two doubles, and drew four intentional walks. Each time Toronto tried to pitch around him, he found another way to make them pay.

“I just wanted to keep the line moving,” Ohtani said afterward through an interpreter. “Freddie came through when it mattered most.”

Freeman’s game-ending blast, a 406-foot drive to center off Blue Jays reliever Brendon Little, sent the crowd of more than 54,000 into delirium. It was Freeman’s second career postseason walk-off homer — and one that ended a night that tested the limits of both teams.

“It felt like two games in one,” Freeman said, grinning wearily. “Nobody wanted to give in. That’s what makes this team special.”

The Dodgers jumped ahead early, with Teoscar Hernández and Ohtani each homering in the first three innings. But Toronto, resilient as ever, roared back. Catcher Alejandro Kirk’s three-run shot in the fourth and Andrés Giménez’s sacrifice fly gave the Blue Jays a 4–2 lead.

Los Angeles clawed back in the fifth, when Ohtani doubled home a run and Freeman followed with an RBI single to tie it at four. In the seventh, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pushed Toronto ahead 5–4 on a grounder that deflected off a diving Max Muncy. But Ohtani struck again in the bottom of the inning, launching his second home run of the night deep into the right-field pavilion to tie the score once more.

From there, the bullpens took over — and refused to yield.

The Dodgers used 10 pitchers, setting a franchise record for a World Series game, while the Blue Jays churned through nearly every available arm in their bullpen. Relievers from both sides worked out of bases-loaded jams, as both teams stranded runners in scoring position, and somehow kept the game alive inning after inning.

Los Angeles rookie Will Klein emerged as an unlikely hero on the mound, throwing four shutout innings in relief to earn the win. “He just kept pounding the zone,” manager Dave Roberts said. “That was as gutsy as it gets.”

Even Clayton Kershaw got into the act, entering as a reliever in the 12th inning with the bases loaded and two outs. He induced a groundout to escape the jam, preventing the go-ahead run from scoring, and keeping the game tied.

The Blue Jays’ relievers were nearly as heroic. Yimi García and Génesis Cabrera combined for six scoreless frames before Little’s fateful pitch to Freeman in the 18th.

Toronto manager John Schneider could only tip his cap. “That’s one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “It just didn’t go our way at the end.”

The Dodgers, now two wins away from repeating as champions, have momentum — and perhaps the ultimate weapon in baseball. Ohtani is scheduled to start Game 4 on Tuesday night, less than 24 hours after his historic performance at the plate.

“He’s built different,” Freeman said of his teammate. “The energy he brings — it lifts everyone.”

As the players left the field somewhere into Tuesday, Dodger Stadium was still buzzing. Fans lingered in their seats, soaking in the moment — a marathon classic soon to be legend.

The Dodgers had survived one of the wildest World Series games ever played. They did it with power, patience, and poise — and a superstar who continues to redefine what’s possible on a baseball field.

Game 3 will be remembered not just for its length, but for its brilliance — a night when Shohei Ohtani made history, the bullpens bent but never broke, and Freddie Freeman sent everyone home happy.