It wasn’t just a game. It was a marathon. A theatrical, heart-stopping, seven-hour rollercoaster that ended with Freddie Freeman sending the Los Angeles Dodgers into delirium — and the Toronto Blue Jays into stunned silence. On October 24, 2025, in a game that stretched past midnight and into the early hours of October 25, the Dodgers and Blue Jays played the longest World Series game in modern history, culminating in a walk-off home run by Freeman in the 13th inning. The final score? 6-5. The memory? Eternal.
The Game That Refused to End
By the seventh inning, the Toronto Blue Jays had clawed their way to a 5-4 lead, thanks to a head-first slide by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that beat Will Smith’s tag at home plate. Bo Bichette drove him in with a sharp single, and for a moment, Toronto smelled blood. But the Dodgers didn’t fold. They didn’t even blink.
Earlier, Max Scherzer, the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer pitching for Toronto, had dominated through six innings, holding the Dodgers to two runs. But when he exited, the Blue Jays’ Game 4 starter — a little-known left-hander named Josh Naylor — stepped in… and hit an RBI double. That’s right. The pitcher. The one scheduled to start the next game. He drove in Shohei Ohtani, tying the game 4-4. And that’s when the absurdity truly began.
Ohtani’s Absurd Night
Let that sink in: Ohtani, 31, went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a home run, three RBIs, and two stolen bases. He stole second in the fifth. He stole third in the eighth. He stole home in the 10th — on a pitchout — and it wasn’t even the most shocking moment of the night. Rich Eisen, in his YouTube analysis published October 25, 2025, said it best: “We can’t… I honestly cannot stress enough what absurdity we’re seeing from Shohei Ohtani.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. Ohtani didn’t just play. He rewrote the rules. He hit a 102 mph fastball for a homer in the third. He bunted for a base hit in the sixth. He stole second with a 3-0 count. He stole third with two outs and the catcher standing up. The Blue Jays’ infield shifted so often, they looked like a chess team.
The One Who Got Thrown Out
Not every moment was glory. In the sixth, Tioascar Jose Hernandez, Toronto’s speedy outfielder, tried to stretch a single into a triple. He was thrown out at third — the first time any runner had been caught stealing at third all night. Eisen called it “the moment the game changed.” Why? Because it was the last time Toronto looked like they’d win.
After that, the Dodgers’ defense tightened. Will Smith, their 30-year-old catcher, made two incredible blocks on wild pitches in extra innings. Teoscar Hernandez — yes, the same one who got thrown out — nearly won it for Toronto in the 11th with a line drive that just missed the foul pole. The crowd in Los Angeles, still packed at 1:47 a.m., held its breath.
The Walk-Off That Changed Everything
Top of the 13th. Two outs. Runners on first and second. Freddie Freeman stepped in against Yimi García, a Blue Jays reliever who had thrown 120 pitches. One swing. One crack of the bat. The ball cleared the left-field fence. The stadium exploded. Freeman dropped his bat. He didn’t even run. He just stood there, arms raised, as 52,000 people screamed themselves hoarse.
It was his second homer of the night. His sixth RBI. His third game-winning hit this postseason. And it came after 6 hours, 58 minutes of baseball — the longest game ever in World Series history, surpassing the 2018 Red Sox-Yankees classic by 22 minutes.
What This Means for the Series
The Dodgers now lead the series 2-1. The Blue Jays, who looked poised to take control, are reeling. Their bullpen, which threw 41 innings in three games, is exhausted. Their ace, Scherzer, has pitched 11 innings across two starts. And their offense, which scored five runs in Game 3, hasn’t scored more than four in any game since Game 1.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ lineup is heating up. Ohtani is on a 12-game hitting streak. Freeman is hitting .412 with a 1.320 OPS in the Series. And their pitching staff — once a concern — has allowed just two earned runs in the last 27 innings.
Game 4 is set for October 26 at Dodger Stadium. The Blue Jays will start their Game 4 pitcher — the same guy who hit the double that tied the game. The Dodgers? They’re expected to go with Julio Urías, who hasn’t started since October 10. But after what happened in Game 3? Who knows anymore.
Why This Game Will Be Remembered
This wasn’t just about runs or home runs. It was about endurance. About will. About a 31-year-old Japanese phenom who plays like a superhero and a 35-year-old first baseman who still hits like he’s 25. It was about a catcher who blocked pitches with his chest. A pitcher who hit a double. A runner who got thrown out at third — and somehow, that became the turning point.
Baseball has always had its legends. But rarely has it had a game that felt like it was written by a drunk poet with a stopwatch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long was Game 3 of the 2025 World Series?
Game 3 lasted 6 hours and 58 minutes, making it the longest World Series game in history by time. It began at 8:07 p.m. PT on October 24 and ended at 3:05 a.m. PT on October 25, with 579 pitches thrown and 42 players used between both teams.
Who hit the walk-off home run, and what was its significance?
Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer off Yimi García in the bottom of the 13th inning, giving the Dodgers a 6-5 win. It was his second homer of the game and his third game-winning hit in the 2025 postseason. The homer reversed a 5-4 Blue Jays lead and shifted the series momentum decisively to Los Angeles.
Why was Shohei Ohtani’s performance called "absurd"?
Ohtani went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a homer, three RBIs, and two stolen bases — including a rare steal of home on a pitchout. He also pitched 1.1 innings in relief, throwing 24 pitches with two strikeouts. No player in MLB history has ever contributed as a batter, pitcher, and baserunner with such volume in a single World Series game.
Did Max Scherzer really pitch for the Blue Jays?
Yes. In a stunning offseason move, Scherzer signed with Toronto as a free agent in December 2024. He started Game 3 and pitched 6.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. Though he didn’t get the win, his performance — including striking out 10 — cemented his legacy as a future Hall of Famer, even in defeat.
What role did the Blue Jays’ Game 4 starter play in Game 3?
Josh Naylor, the pitcher scheduled to start Game 4, entered in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter and delivered an RBI double that tied the game 4-4. He became the first pitcher in World Series history to drive in a run while not starting the game — and the first to do so while being scheduled to start the next game.
What’s next for the Dodgers and Blue Jays?
Game 4 is set for October 26 at Dodger Stadium, with Julio Urías expected to start for LA and the Blue Jays likely to turn to Ross Stripling. The Dodgers now hold a 2-1 series lead, and the pressure is mounting on Toronto’s bullpen. If the Dodgers win Game 4, they’ll be one win away from their first title since 2020.
