Miguel Rojas homer helps Dodgers repeat as champions
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Juan Beltran, Contributor
- November 2, 2025
Will Smith homer helps Dodgers win Game 7 classic
The Toronto Blue Jays were two outs away from securing their first title in 32 years until Miguel Rojas hit one of the most unlikely home runs in World Series history in the ninth inning to keep the Dodgers alive Saturday night at Rogers Centre.
Two innings later, Will Smith homered to put the Dodgers ahead for the first time in Game 7 at Rogers Centre as Los Angeles became the first World Series champions to repeat since the 2000 Yankees. The Blue Jays had no answer in the bottom of the 11th inning against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the World Series MVP who won Games 6 and 7.
Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 4.
“Miggy Ro,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Rojas. “I talk about the game honors you. And right there the game honored him. He does things the right way, and he deserved that moment. And what Yoshi did tonight is unprecedented in modern day baseball.
“Just the young guys coming out there with the arms and just the big plays. And, again, it’s been a long season, man. We started out in Tokyo and ended up north of the border, so just proud of this group of guys.”
One night after throwing six innings to win Game 6 and stave off elimination, Yamamoto threw 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to win Game 7 and go 3-0 in the Fall Classic. The Japanese ace earned all three of his Fall Classic victories on the road.
World Series MVP
“When I started in the bullpen before I went in, to be honest, I was not really sure if I could pitch up there to my best ability,” Yamamoto said. “But as I started getting warmed up, because I started making a little bit of an adjustment, then I started thinking I can go in and do my job.”
The Blue Jays returned to Toronto with a three games to two lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic. With Yamamoto leading the way, the Dodgers won Game 6 on Friday night 3-1 to force a winner-take-all Game 7. Roberts inserted the slumping Rojas into the lineup in Game 6.
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Rojas was 0-for-3 in Game 6, but he made a crucial defensive play to pick Kike Hernandez’s throw from left field for the game-ending double play. Then in Game 7 Rojas proved clutch with his glove and bat.
Bo Bichette gave the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead with a three-run home run in the third inning off Shohei Ohtani. Teoscar Hernandez got a run back with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Tommy Edman’s sacrifice fly in the sixth cut the deficit to 3-2.
Andres Gimenez countered with an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to put the Blue Jays ahead 4-2. Max Muncy cut the deficit to 4-3 with a home run in the eighth. Then with one out in the ninth, Rojas homered to left to stun the sellout crowd at Rogers Centre.
‘My moment came’
“My approach was to hit the ball up the middle and get a hit to get on base for Shohei,” Miguel Rojas said. “He’s the big man. But when things are for you, they’re for you. My moment came, and I was able to win it. I gave the guys a chance to win it later.”
Rojas, 36, hit only seven home runs this regular season. Moreover, the native of Los Teques, Venezuela, had only 57 home runs over his 12-year career. He was 0-for-3 in the Division Series and didn’t play in the National League Championship Series.
Rojas was 0-for-6 in the World Series until he singled in the fifth inning of Game 7. Three at-bats later, he tied the score with the biggest home run of his career.
“Forget about home run, that was the most important hit of my career,” he said. “It’s the biggest shot of my career. I don’t think there’s anything that would surpass this. And for all the folks who said I didn’t hit, there you have it, a home run in the World Series.”
The Blue Jays loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but Daulton Varsho hit a fielder’s choice grounder to second. Miguel Rojas fielded it and appeared to lose his balance as he prepared to throw home for the crucial second out. Yamamoto then induced Ernie Clement’s fly out to center to strand the bases loaded.
“I just think it just goes down to just trusting your players,” Roberts said. “And it’s nice when you can look down the roster and have 26 guys that you believe in and know that at some point in time their number’s going to be called. And that’s kind of what happened.”
Juan Beltran
Contributor
Juan Beltran, who immigrated to the United States from El Salvador at 5 years old, is an experienced broadcast journalist
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