World Series Game 5 Blue Jays vs. Dodgers live updates: Lineups, predictions, odds, news and latest

Dodger Stadium hosts World Series baseball for the final time in 2025 as Los Angeles takes on the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5.
The Blue Jays tied up the series 2-2 with a 6-2 win last night — a perfect response to their loss in the 18-inning marathon 24 hours earlier.
Now we get to find out who will head to Toronto with a series lead and one game away from becoming world champions.
Blue Jays lineup: Schneider LF, Guerrero Jr. 1B, Bichette DH, Kirk C, Varsho CF, Clement 3B, Barger RF, Kiner-Falefa 2B, Gimenez SS, Yesavage P
Dodgers lineup: Ohtani DH, Smith C, Betts SS, Freeman 1B, T. Hernández RF, Edman 2B, Muncy 3B, K. Hernández CF, Call LF, Snell P
First pitch: 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT
Watch: Fox (U.S.) | Sportsnet (Canada)
Stream: Fubo (Stream Free Now)
Get tickets: StubHub
Share your thoughts: live@theathletic.com
This week’s live schedule at The Athletic
Q: When this World Series is over — no matter who wins — what’s next for Blue Jays mainstay Bo Bichette? And are there any moves you have in mind for each of these teams to stay competitive next season?
Besides reaching free agency and a possible uniform change, Bichette also could be looking at a position change to third base as several teams like the Tigers, Phillies, Yankees, and Red Sox would love to put him at third base. He’ll lead the league in hits again in his career, but I doubt it will be with the Blue Jays. Don’t be surprised if the Dodgers make a run at Kyle Tucker in free agency and the Blue Jays make a run for Framber Valdez. Should be a fun winter for both teams and in the industry.
Q: As a former head of baseball ops, I’m sure you can appreciate the under-the-radar signing, late-career development and multi-year extension of Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy. What’s made that pairing work so well, adding Muncy to this Dodgers core?
Muncy has worked so hard defensively that not only has he become an average defender, but he has also been able to make above-average defensive plays at times, as seen in the NLCS when he dove to his left and threw home for a key out. Muncy’s 19 homers in just 100 games and 388 plate appearances when healthy give the Dodgers lineup length and the occasional three-run homer. That changes games for them and takes pressure off the three top-of-the-order future Hall of Famers when they have an off night.
Q: Not everything went as planned for the Blue Jays, either. They signed Anthony Santander to a big contract this winter, and they gave prospect Alan Roden a big league job out of spring training. But Santander struggled and then got hurt, while Roden wound up optioned and eventually traded. How did the Blue Jays maintain a productive outfield?
The Blue Jays concentrated on run prevention with their outfield, deploying above-average defenders when Santander is unavailable. Daulton Varsho provides Gold Glove center field with 20-homer power while Addison Barger delivers with a strong arm to prevent runners from taking the next base with 20-homer power. Davis Schneider creates traffic with a .361 OBP and plus defense.
Editors note: Schneider was a 28th-round draft pick, Barger was a sixth rounder, Varsho was acquired in a trade for relatively cheap international free agent Gabriel Moreno, and left-handed platoon outfielder Nathan Lukes was signed as a minor league free agent.
The Athletic’s resident GM Jim Bowden answered a few questions heading into this World Series. Here’s his analysis of what’s gotten the Dodgers and Blue Jays this far, and what might be next for them when the Fall Classic is over.
Q: The Dodgers invested nearly $125 million into their bullpen this offseason. What happened that made it so thoroughly fall apart, and what’s kept the depleted bullpen from wrecking their run through October?
Bowden: It was clearly the injuries to Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech and Evan Phillips among others. The late emergence of Roki Sasaki, a healthy Blake Treinen and consistency from Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Anthony Banda has been huge. But the key in the postseason is being able to move both Emmet Sheehan and Clayton Kershaw to the bullpen for depth and the willingness to let a starter like Tyler Glasnow throw his side day in a playoff game.
I expect them to do the same with Shohei Ohtani if the series goes to Game 7. The bottom line is that Dave Roberts’ willingness to let his starters go 6, 7, 8, or 9 innings covers up the only real weakness this team has — if you can call it that — being the set-up reliever role.
Canadian reader Louis D. has emailed in to tell us his memories of the 1993 World Series:
✉️ My Dad, two of my nephews and I watched 1993’s Game 6 from SkyDome’s left field nosebleeds, and Joltin’ Joe’s ninth-inning blast headed in our direction. When the ball disappeared from view below I only hoped it would stay fair, never dreaming that one hit that low would clear the fence. I didn’t realize the game was over until Mr. Carter jumped on second base. After the younger nephew’s hockey game the next day, a teammate asked if he had seen the ballgame. “Yeah, I was there,” he replied to his amazed friend. I still shake my head when I think of our very good fortune.
Remember, you can send us your thoughts, stories and predictions at live@theathletic.com!
Mookie Betts had three RBIs in the two-game wild-card round, and he’s had exactly three RBIs in the 12 games since. He had a .631 OPS in the division series, a .478 in the NLCS, and so far a .431 in the World Series. Betts was surging at the plate in the second half of the season, but he’s been a non-factor lately (while hitting between Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, who have been good). Like with Blake Snell, a better Mookie means a better Dodgers.
The Dodgers have just three players hitting at least .250 in the World Series. The Blue Jays have eight, and seven of them are getting semi-regular playing time. The Dodgers are outslugging the Blue Jays, they aren’t outscoring them. The two teams have roughly the same number of strikeouts, similar OPSs, and the Dodgers have more walks, but the Blue Jays have 10 more hits. Building some innings the Blue Jays’ way could make a difference.
As much grief as Jays manager John Schneider got for his managerial maneuverings in the marathon Game 3, he clearly believes the Jays have to maximize every scoring opportunity. And I think he’s right.
The Jays have scored in bunches this series. A nine-run inning in Game 1. A four-run frame in Game 2. Another four-run rally in Game 3. Ideally, all that can be done without pulling your top hitters from the game when their spot will come up again later in the game. But if it gets runners home, it will be worth the risk.
I believe it was my colleague Tyler Kepner who mentioned in the Game 1 live coverage that he now understood why Rays manager Kevin Cash had taken out Blake Snell after 73 pitches in the 2020 World Series.
Snell was at 84 pitches in Game 1 on Friday when Dave Roberts sent him back out for the sixth inning. Walk. Single. Hit by pitch. A nine-run rally was born. And it all started with the Jays forcing Snell to throw 29 pitches in a lengthy first inning.
In Game 6 of the ALCS, Jays starter Trey Yesavage tossed 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball on 31 splitters, 29 four-seamers and 27 sliders. An almost even split of his three-pitch arsenal.
In Game 1 of the World Series, Yesavage threw 38 four-seamers, 32 sliders and … 10 splitters. He couldn’t locate his best pitch, the splitter, for strikes, and the Dodgers were too patient to chase it.
Without the splitter, Yesavage becomes predictable. If he locates it for strikes, he’ll get swing-and-miss. That’s a must for him in Game 5.
Entering the World Series, getting to the undermanned Dodgers bullpen was an obvious key for the underdog Blue Jays. Toronto hasn’t chased Dodgers starters early this series, yet they have done considerable damage against them. Other than Game 2, when Yoshinobu Yamamoto went the distance against Toronto, the Jays have outlasted each Dodgers starter, breaking through with a crooked-number inning against Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani.
In Game 1, the Jays made Snell work early, then made Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pay for keeping Snell in for the sixth inning, a frame Snell started by loading the bases ahead of a bullpen meltdown.
With Yamamoto awaiting in Game 6, it’s even more important that the Jays put themselves in the driver’s seat by getting to Snell again in Game 5.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted at a lineup shake-up after Game 3, and the likeliest change came at the bottom, where Alex Call replaces Andy Pages as the No. 9 hitter. Pages is 1-for-15 this series and batting .080 this postseason.
But others are struggling who Roberts would have a harder time replacing in the lineup. More than half of the Dodgers’ most common lineup is batting below the Mendoza line in this World Series: Mookie Betts (.158), Tommy Edman (.167), Max Muncy (.176), Kiké Hernández (.188) and Pages (.067).
The clock is ticking on the Los Angeles lineup figuring it out, and Game 5, their second look at a rookie starter, is a prime chance for them to get right.
Thinking out loud, which our live coverage is the perfect place for: If Shohei Ohtani were to pitch again in this series, it would make sense to do it as a starter in Game 7. The way the “Ohtani Rule” works is it allows two-way players to remain in the game as a hitter after departing as a starting pitcher. But it does not apply to relievers. So if the Dodgers want to use him, it would either be as an opener or a closer.
If he has to close, the team would need to find a way for him to warm up during the game while still taking his at-bats. Ohtani did that, of course, in the gold medal game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The team could trust him to know his body well enough to make that transition, and let him air it out in relief, trying to clinch a championship. Or it could opt for the more conventional route of giving him more time to warm up before the game. We’ll see what happens!