Where Yoshinobu Yamamoto ranks among the last 10 World Series MVPs

Against seemingly all odds, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2025 World Series. Okay, they were the favorites entering the year and even entering the series, but the Toronto Blue Jays had a 3-2 series lead, and held a ninth-inning lead in Game 7. In no way did I expect the Dodgers to battle back in either spot, yet they did in what turned out to be one of the most entertaining series ever. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a lot to do with that.

Yamamoto dazzled in each of his two World Series starts and, on zero days of rest, came in relief and ended the series. Yamamoto was so impressive that he won the World Series MVP award over Shohei Ohtani, who, in addition to his pitching, hit three home runs and drew nine walks (five of which were intentional) in the seven games. Ohtani would've won it in many years, but Yamamoto was that good.

With that being said, here's where Yamamoto's World Series MVP performance ranks among the World Series MVP winners in the last 10 years.

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10) Ben Zobrist, Chicago Cubs (2016)

World Series highlights: 10 hits (led Cubs), go-ahead hit in Game 7, 5 runs scored

The 2016 World Series might be the most entertaining in the last decade, but if I'm being honest, I forgot Ben Zobrist even won the MVP award. I'm not going to say he didn't deserve it as he led the Chicago Cubs with 10 World Series hits, had a .919 OPS, and, of course, drove in the go-ahead run, but did he really deserve it?

Anthony Rizzo had a 1.084 OPS and drove in three more runs than Zobrist. Kyle Hendricks allowed just one earned runs in nine innings across two World Series starts, and threw 4.2 brilliant innings in that Game 7 victory. Even if Zobrist did deserve it, the fact that I can even argue two other players should've gotten it shows that this MVP win doesn't quite measure up to the rest.

9) Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers (2020)

World Series highlights: .400/.556/.700 slash line, 2 home runs, 5 RBI

Corey Seager's numbers in the 2020 World Series were a step up from Zobrist's, but this was another instance of others being deserving of the MVP. Seager's numbers were obviously outstanding, but Justin Turner had an OPS over 1.000, Max Muncy and Mookie Betts had great series, and on the pitching front, Clayton Kershaw allowed just three runs in 11.2 innings across his two starts, both Dodgers wins.

Seager's biggest hit of the series was a go-ahead knock in Game 4, but the Tampa Bay Rays came back to win that game, so it's not as if he had a true defining moment, either. Seager was probably the deserving winner, but the fact that other guys could've won it and the lack of a true signature moment make it tough to rank him much higher here.

8) Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros (2022)

World Series highlights: 10 hits (led Astros), go-ahead home run in Game 5, 1.023 OPS

Jeremy Pena had the best numbers on the 2022 Houston Astros during the World Series, but again, it's hard to overlook the contributions of others. Alex Bregman had an OPS over .900, Kyle Tucker hit two home runs, both Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel hit over .300, and Yordan Alvarez hit the series-clinching home run.

He did have one semi-memorable home run as he gave the Astros the lead in a pivotal Game 5 win, but that came in the fourth inning, so it's not as if that was such a must-see moment. Pena doing this as a rookie was very cool, especially given the fact that he won the ALCS MVP award as well, but there isn't much of a case for him to be ranked higher than this.

7) Steve Pearce, Boston Red Sox (2018)

World Series highlights: 3 HR, 8 RBI in just 12 AB, 4/0 BB/K ratio

If this ranking were based on the unlikeliest players to win a World Series MVP award, Steve Pearce would top the list easily. He went from a relatively unknown player acquired a month before that year's trade deadline to one of the unlikeliest of heroes in Boston Red Sox history.

Pearce hit three home runs and drove in eight runs in the Red Sox's victory over the Dodgers. What makes it even more impressive is that he hit three home runs (and a double) in just 12 at-bats. He got on base half of the times he stepped up to the plate and drove in nearly two runs per game. You could conceivably rank him higher because of how impressive and unlikely this MVP was, but it's hard to rank this performance above others.

6) Jorge Soler, Atlanta Braves (2021)

World Series highlights: 3 go-ahead home runs, 6 RBI

Jorge Soler only had six hits in the 2021 World Series, but three of them were home runs. Every single one of his home runs gave the Atlanta Braves a lead. This included a lead-off home run in Game 1, a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of Game 4, and an absolute bomb of a three-run homer in the third inning of the series-clincher.

Pearce's numbers were far better, but that Red Sox team also won in five games, and was loaded with star power around him. Soler's series feels a bit more impressive, since all three of his home runs gave his team the lead in a tighter series.

5) Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals (2019)

World Series highlights: 4 ER in 14.1 IP (2.51 ERA), 2-0 record in 2 starts

As you can see from this list, it's fairly rare for a pitcher to get a World Series MVP award because for them to overshadow a hitter in only two or three appearances, they have to do things that Steven Strasburg did. Strasburg's numbers might not stick out so much, but with the appropriate context, like knowing that Max Scherzer was at less than 100 percent and Patrick Corbin was more of a bullpen weapon in the Fall Classic, Strasburg's starts were crucial.

Strasburg took the ball in Game 2 and delivered six innings of two-run ball to give the Washington Nationals a 2-0 series lead. With Washington down 3-2, Strasburg took the ball in Game 6 and allowed just two runs in 8.1 innings of work. He was two outs shy of a complete game with his team's season on the line. The Nationals needed every bit of Strasburg's masterpieces (both of which came on the road, by the way) en route to their first-ever World Series title.

4) George Springer, Houston Astros (2017)

World Series highlights: 11 hits, 5 HR, 7 RBI, 8 runs (all led Astros), 1.471 OPS

George Springer's World Series MVP was the hardest one to rank by far. He honestly has a case for the top spot, but it cannot be ignored that the Astros were cheating in that series. Still, Springer drilled five home runs in the seven-game thriller, and went deep in each of the last four games. His Game 5 home run was the most memorable as he tied that contest in the seventh inning by going deep, but he also hit a go-ahead home run in the 11th inning of Game 2 of that series.

Numbers-wise, Springer should be higher, but he was cheating, and several Astros players had crazy good numbers in that series. Somewhere around here is fair given all of the context.

3) Corey Seager, Texas Rangers (2023)

World Series highlights: 3 HR, 6 RBI, game-tying HR in Game 1, 1.137 OPS

Corey Seager's numbers from his 2020 World Series MVP year were excellent, but the same can be said about his performance in 2023, and I'd argue his 2023 year was far more impactful. Seager had an OPS over 1.100 and drilled three home runs, all of which were incredibly memorable.

The most memorable, of course, was his game-tying shot in the bottom of the ninth in Game 1 - a game the Texas Rangers would later win in extra innings. He homered in a pivotal Game 3 road win, did so again in Game 4, and his single in Game 5 broke a no-hitter and led to what proved to be a series-clinching rally. It's easy to overlook these contributions because the Rangers won in five games, but Seager's 2023 MVP performance was truly historic.

2) Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (2024)

World Series highlights: 4 HR, 12 RBI in 5 games, walk-off grand slam in Game 1. 2+ RBI in 4/5 games

Freddie Freeman was practically playing on one leg by the time the World Series began, but clearly, he didn't care. Freeman slashed .300/.364/1.000 with four home runs and 12 RBI in the Dodgers' five-game series win. It's hard to overstate how dominant Freeman was in this series. Not only did he go deep in four of the five games, but he drove in two or more runs in four of the five games. He drove in at least one run in every game. He averaged more than two RBI in the series.

Not only were the numbers ridiculous, but Freeman was incredibly clutch. He's responsible for one of the most clutch hits in MLB history, drilling a walk-off grand slam to win Game 1. He also gave the Dodgers the lead in Game 3 with a two-run homer, and helped the Dodgers come back to win Game 5 by lining a two-run single in an error-filled Yankees inning. It's hard to believe this MVP performance doesn't top the list, but that's how good Yoshinobu Yamamoto was in this year's World Series.

1) Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers (2025)

World Series highlights: 2 ER in 17.2 IP (1.02 ERA), complete game shutout in Game 2, 3-0 record, 2.2 shutout innings on zero days' rest in Game 7

Is this recency bias? Perhaps, but I really don't think so. Yoshinobu Yamamoto played a huge role in getting the Dodgers to the World Series to begin with, and somehow, he was even better in the Fall Classic.

Yamamoto delivered a complete-game performance against this high-flying Toronto Blue Jays offense, allowing just one run on four hits. He followed that up by allowing only one run on five hits in six innings in a must-win Game 6. To top it all off, Yamamoto, on zero days of rest, delivered 2.2 scoreless innings and was the last pitcher the Dodgers used in the contest.

This Blue Jays offense was torching everyone, and even lit up both Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani in this series, but Yamamoto was just something else. Just getting guys on base against him was a challenge, and when they were able to, particularly in Game 7, Yamamoto always executed his pitches. Yamamoto would've won the MVP award even without pitching in Game 7, but his performance on no rest in the winner-take-all game makes this by far the most impressive World Series MVP win in the last decade, and one of the most impressive of all-time.

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