The World Series matchup is set, and it's one no MLB fan could've possibly anticipated at the start of the season. Sure, the Los Angeles Dodgers were the clear pick to represent the NL before the year began, but based on how the regular season unfolded, it felt far from a slam dunk that they'd make it back to the Fall Classic after winning it all in 2024. As for the Toronto Blue Jays, who expected them to make the playoffs at all? Even after a fantastic regular season, who thought they'd get this far?
This series should be a fascinating watch. From Shohei Ohtani to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to Freddie Freeman to Bo Bichette, the star power set to be on display is off the charts, and the revenge narratives set to take place throughout the series make this matchup even more riveting.
These four revenge narratives are the best ones to follow.
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4) Teoscar Hernandez vs. Blue Jays
Coming off an embarrassing Wild Card defeat in 2022, Ross Atkins decided to shake things up. He vowed to improve team defense, and trading Teoscar Hernandez, an offense-first outfielder, certainly helped fulfill that vision.
The trade aged a bit strangely. An argument can be made that the Jays won it, as Erik Swanson pitched well in 2023 and Hernandez had a down year, but Swanson only had that one good season in Toronto and the 2023 Blue Jays could've really used Hernandez's bat. Coming off a down year, Hernandez signed a prove-it deal with the Dodgers in 2024, and it's safe to say he proved it.
The Dodgers rewarded him with a new deal last offseason, and Hernandez, once again, is a key contributor for Los Angeles. He's going to want to get revenge on the Blue Jays for trading him. If he has a strong series, with how much talent is in front of him in the lineup, it's hard to envision Toronto keeping up.
3) Dodgers vs. George Springer
Seattle Mariners fans hate George Springer. That much was made abundantly clear in the ALCS. If you think Mariners fans hate Springer, though, just wait for what Dodgers fans have for him in Games 3 through 5 in the World Series. Springer has become a folk hero in Toronto due to his ALCS heroics, but he's the No. 1 villain in Los Angeles right now.
Springer, as we all know, was a large part of the 2017 Houston Astros team that cheated its way to a World Series title. Not only was Springer on that team, but he won the World Series MVP award that season, and the team his Astros beat was the Dodgers. Springer hit five home runs in that seven-game series.
Dodgers fans want to watch their team win back-to-back World Series, but beating Springer would make victory that much sweeter. It'll be interesting to see if Springer can quiet the crowd down in Los Angeles, or if Dodgers fans will get in his head. As much as Dodgers fans might not want to hear this, Springer's postseason resume suggests it'll be the former.
2) Blue Jays vs. Roki Sasaki
He wasn't allowed to sign a nine-figure deal in free agency, but by making the move from Japan to MLB when he did, Roki Sasaki received interest from all 30 teams. The Dodgers, Blue Jays and San Diego Padres were his three finalists, but by the time he was ready to sign, it appeared to be a two-horse race between the Blue Jays and Dodgers.
Most didn't give the Blue Jays much of a chance to actually end up with Sasaki, but after they willingly took on Myles Straw's bloated contract to add more international bonus money, fans were given the impression that Toronto might actually win the high-stakes sweepstakes. That did not happen. The Dodgers convinced the righty to sign with them, and the other 29 fan bases groaned in unison.
Sasaki didn't have the year everyone envisioned, but he's come alive in a bullpen role this postseason, establishing himself as the Dodgers' closer. The boos will be loud if/when he appears in games in Toronto. and for good reason: They might feel Sasaki used them to get more signing bonus money out of the Dodgers. Watching Sasaki in the World Series to begin with will be interesting, given the state of the Dodgers' bullpen, and adding the Blue Jays element makes it even more fascinating.
As fulfilling as beating Sasaki would be for Blue Jays fans, though, he isn't the best Dodgers player to tease them in free agency.
1) Blue Jays vs. Shohei Ohtani
You knew this one would be here. Shohei Ohtani entered free agency after the 2023 season, and while the Dodgers were always the favorites to sign him, the Blue Jays were seemingly in the thick of it. They were so involved, in fact, that when MLB Network's Jon Morosi tweeted that Ohtani was on a flight to Toronto, MLB fans thought he was signing with the Blue Jays.
Sources: Shohei Ohtani is en route to Toronto today.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 8, 2023
A representative of his agency, CAA, would not comment when asked about Ohtani’s travel plans.
At this hour, Ohtani does not have a signed agreement with any @MLB team. @MLBNetwork
It wasn't Ohtani's fault that Morosi tweeted false information, but having that get tweeted out only for Ohtani to sign with the Dodgers shortly thereafter was a major gut punch for a Blue Jays franchise that was whiffing left and right on star free agents.
Blue Jays fans booed Ohtani at will when he made his trip to Rogers Centre in 2024, and they're sure to do the same thing when he leads off the World Series on Friday. Winning the World Series would be the perfect cap to a transformative season in Toronto, but beating the superstar who spurned them would make it even more special. There's no better storyline to follow than how Ohtani does against this team in this moment.