After seven months, it all comes down to this, the two sweetest words in sports: Game 7. And this isn't just any old Game 7; this is Game 7 of the World Series, the two best teams in baseball squaring off one more time with immortality and a championship hanging in the balance.
The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers have already given us a Fall Classic to remember, with another instant classic in Game 6 on Friday night. The Dodgers just barely hung on for a 3-1 win, though not without a serious scare in the bottom of the ninth — and, depending on who you ask and which team you root for, a serious assist from the umpiring crew — after Toronto put runners on second and third with nobody out. After six prize fights, what could these teams possibly have store in the finale? And just who will have the edge at Rogers Centre on Saturday night?
To answer that question, we first need to take a look back. Here's everything ot know about the history Game 7 of the World Series, from the 1900s to the present.
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World Series Game 7 by the numbers
Saturday will mark the 41st Game 7 in World Series history, more than a century after the first one all the way back in 1909. The Pirates routed the Tigers in that game to win what was at the time just the sixth edition of the Fall Classic. And thus began one of the best traditions in all of sports.
Year | Winning team | Losing team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
1909 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Detroit Tigers | 8-0 |
1912 | Boston Red Sox | New York Giants | 3-2 (10 innings)* |
1924 | Washington Senators | New York Giants | 4-3 (12) |
1925 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Washington Senators | 9-7 |
1926 | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Yankees | 3-2 |
1931 | St. Louis Cardinals | Philadelphia A's | 4-2 |
1934 | St. Louis Cardinals | Detroit Tigers | 11-0 |
1940 | Cincinnati Reds | Detroit Tigers | 2-1 |
1945 | Detroit Tigers | Chicago Cubs | 9-3 |
1946 | St. Louis Cardinals | Boston Red Sox | 4-3 |
1947 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers | 5-2 |
1952 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers | 4-2 |
1955 | Brooklyn Dodgers | New York Yankees | 2-0 |
1956 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers | 9-0 |
1957 | Milwaukee Braves | New York Yankees | 5-0 |
1958 | New York Yankees | Milwaukee Braves | 6-2 |
1960 | Pittsburgh Pirates | New York Yankees | 10-9 |
1962 | New York Yankees | San Francisco Giants | 1-0 |
1964 | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Yankees | 7-5 |
1965 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Minnesota Twins | 2-0 |
1967 | St. Louis Cardinals | Boston Red Sox | 7-2 |
1968 | Detroit Tigers | St. Louis Cardinals | 4-1 |
1971 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Baltimore Orioles | 2-1 |
1972 | Oakland Athletics | Cincinnati Reds | 3-2 |
1973 | Oakland Athletics | New York Mets | 5-2 |
1975 | Cincinnati Reds | Boston Red Sox | 4-3 |
1979 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Baltimore Orioles | 4-1 |
1982 | St. Louis Cardinals | Milwaukee Brewers | 6-3 |
1985 | Kansas City Royals | St. Louis Cardinals | 11-0 |
1986 | New York Mets | Boston Red Sox | 8-5 |
1987 | Minnesota Twins | St. Louis Cardinals | 4-2 |
1991 | Minnesota Twins | Atlanta Braves | 1-0 (10) |
1997 | Florida Marlins | Cleveland Indians | 3-2 (11) |
2001 | Arizona Diamondbacks | New York Yankees | 3-2 |
2002 | Los Angeles Angels | San Francisco Giants | 4-1 |
2011 | St. Louis Cardinals | Texas Rangers | 6-2 |
2014 | San Francisco Giants | Kansas City Royals | 3-2 |
2016 | Chicago Cubs | Cleveland Indians | 8-7 (10) |
2017 | Houston Astros | Los Angeles Dodgers | 5-1 |
2019 | Washington Nationals | Houston Astros | 6-2 |
*Technically a Game 8, because Game 2 of the 1912 World Series ended in a tie. No, seriously.
Game 7s have given us just about everything over the years, from iconic calls to controversy to extra-innings thrillers. The most recent one came in 2019, when Juan Soto and the Washington Nationals stunned the Houston Astros on the road to erase a 3-2 series deficit and capture the first title in franchise history.
In fact, that's been something of a theme through the years. The home team is just 19-21 in Game 7 of the World Series, and has lost the last four in a row: Houston against Washington in 2019, the Dodgers against Houston in 2017, Cleveland against the Cubs in 2016 and the Giants against the Royals in 2014. The last home team to actually win this must-win game? The 2011 Cardinals, who rode David Freese's heroics to a 6-2 victory over the Rangers at Busch Stadium.
More than just about any team, the Cardinals are no strangers to this stage. They're tied with the Yankees for the most appearnces in World Series Game 7 all-time, at 11 apiece. The Dodgers aren't too far behind with six such games, though the 2017 game is the only one since the mid-1960s. Toronto, on the other hand, has never been here before: The Blue Jays have played in only two Game 7s in their history, both of which came in the ALCS.
So that's what the history tells us. But what about looking forward? What can we expect when the Dodgers and Jays square off with legacy on the line on Saturday night?
What to expect as Blue Jays, Dodgers get set for Game 7
Game 6 was an instant classic (nothing new for what's been a blockbuster series already), and it's left chaos in its wake. Tyler Glasnow was supposed to start a Game 7 for L.A., but he had to come on and close out the ninth inning on Friday, throwing the Dodgers' pitching plans into disarray. Dave Roberts has already announced that Shohei Ohtani will start the game, but he likely won't be able to give his team a ton of length on short rest. (The decision mostly comes down to wanting to keep Ohtani's bat in the lineup; he can be removed as a starter and still hit, whereas if he's removed as a reliever the Dodgers will forfeit their DH spot.)
How many innings will Ohtani throw? What can Glasnow give them after being pressed into action early? What about Blake Snell, who'd be on two days' rest? And what does Sasaki have left in the tank after throwing 30+ pitches in Game 6? With so much uncertainty on the mound, Los Angeles might well need to slug its way to a World Series repeat. But that's easier said than done considering how much essentially every non-Ohtani hitter has struggled at the plate up to this point — though Will Smith and Mookie Betts showed signs of breaking out on Friday night.
For the Jays, things are a bit simpler. Max Scherzer will get the ball to start, but he'll be on an exceedingly short leash considering the fact that just about every other Toronto pitcher — from Shane Bieber to Chris Bassitt to Eric Lauer to maybe even Trey Yesavage on two days' rest — figures to be available to throw at least one inning. How will this team bounce back after a second heartbreaking loss, this one with a title in their grasp? The Jays lineup has been able to get to every Dodgers starter save for Yamamoto in this series; if they can pick themselves up and do it again facing Ohtani and Co., they can still salvage this dream season.