The 2025 Fall Classic will commence on Friday evening, when the Los Angeles Dodgers face off against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers are aiming to become the first MLB team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back championships, marking their third World Series victory since 2020. In contrast, the Blue Jays are striving to secure their third title in franchise history, having previously achieved consecutive championships in 1992 and 1993.
As a component of CBS Sports’ preview content, we tasked our MLB team with providing a singular, daring forecast each. It’s important to acknowledge that “daring” in this situation doesn’t signify something as (comparatively) ordinary as Shohei Ohtani or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hitting multiple home runs in a game. Instead, these predictions should be somewhat unconventional and bold. If you’re not able to envision possibilities now, when will you be?
Bearing that in mind, let’s enjoy the following analysis together.
2025 Fall Classic daring forecasts
R.J. Anderson: A game-winning … caught stealing
It’s been 99 years since Babe Ruth was caught stealing to conclude a World Series due to a botched hit-and-run attempt. Is it not time for baseball to revisit this scenario? Admittedly, neither of these teams is inclined to steal bases — the Dodgers were ranked 22nd in stolen bases during the regular season, while the Blue Jays were ranked 28th — which is why I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that “daring” often translates to “unlikely.” Perhaps the Dodgers will substitute Justin Dean to pinch-run for Freddie Freeman or Will Smith, or perhaps Toronto will opt to deploy Myles Straw as part of a hit-and-run play to capitalize on their strong contact skills. Regardless, my daring prediction is that one of the games in this series (and I hope there are seven in total) will culminate in a caught stealing.
Mike Axisa: The highest-scoring Fall Classic in history
I anticipate that this will be among the highest-scoring World Series ever witnessed. It involves two formidable offenses boasting considerable power, as well as two questionable bullpens, which I believe will result in plenty of late-game excitement (beneficial for neutral observers, but not so much for Blue Jays and Dodgers supporters). Here’s a breakdown of the World Series with the most runs scored:
- 2002: 85 runs (Angels vs. Giants)
- 1960: 82 runs (Pirates vs. Yankees)
- 1997: 81 runs (Cleveland vs. Marlins)
- 1993: 81 runs (Blue Jays vs. Phillies)
- 1982: 72 runs (Brewers vs. Cardinals)
The Dodgers’ pitching rotation could potentially disrupt this forecast, but that’s what lends it boldness, isn’t it? I believe this will be only the fifth World Series ever to feature a combined score of at least 80 runs between the two teams. If the series extends to the full seven games, that implies that we’re discussing at least 11.5 runs per game between the two teams.
World Series forecasts: Professional assessments for Dodgers vs. Blue Jays as MLB’s Fall Classic is officially scheduled
Kate Feldman
Dayn Perry: The final out subject to further examination
I’ll venture to say that the MLB Catastrophe Scenario will come to fruition. By that, I mean the final play of this World Series will be upheld upon review. The ultimate outcome will be unchanged, but the celebration will be temporarily halted while the review officials in New York scrutinize the play. The on-field ruling will be sustained rather than overturned, which will introduce a degree of ambiguity to the situation. The awkwardness and the compromise of the championship moment will be a topic of discussion and debate for much of the offseason in a rather unwelcome fashion. Regrettably, such are the inherent trade-offs.
Matt Snyder: A more typical game-winning play
We haven’t witnessed a series-clinching, game-winning hit since 2001, when Luis Gonzalez singled up the middle against Mariano Rivera and the Yankees to secure the Diamondbacks’ sole World Series title. I foresee the Dodgers prevailing in five games, so let’s hypothesize that it occurs once more this year. As a matter of fact, among the 11 series-clinching hits in history, only two have been home runs, and I’ll predict a third game-winning, World Series-clinching home run. Does anyone recall the last instance of this? Indeed, it was the Blue Jays (Joe Carter in 1993; the other was Bill Mazeroski in 1960). This time, it’ll occur against the Blue Jays when the Dodgers conclude the World Series in Game 5 with a monumental hit from Shohei Ohtani.
