Dodgers steal Game 7 in extras to repeat as World Series champs - ESPN

TORONTO — Miguel Rojas cranked a tying home run off Jeff Hoffman in the top of the ninth, saved the game with a stellar defensive play in the bottom half, then watched his catcher, Will Smith, win it in extra innings.

Smith provided the Los Angeles Dodgers with their first lead in Game 7 of the World Series with a solo home run in the top of the 11th, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto finished the Toronto Blue Jays in the bottom half, sealing a thrilling 5-4 victory on Saturday night that brought yet another championship to L.A.

«You dream of those moments, you know, extra innings, put your team ahead — I'll remember that forever,» Smith said after the game.

The Dodgers became the first repeat World Series champions in a quarter-century, and clinching it took everything they had.

It took all of their starting pitchers — Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Yamamoto, who pitched the first six innings in Game 6 and the last 2⅔ innings in Game 7 — checking into the game. It took Rojas and Smith coming up with huge hits.

And, in the end, it took Yamamoto inducing a critical double-play ball. The Blue Jays had runners on the corners with one out with Alejandro Kirk due up. Yamamoto fired an 0-2 splitter, and Kirk broke his bat, hitting a grounder to shortstop. Mookie Betts stepped on second and fired to first to win it all.

For his efforts throughout the series, Yamamoto was named World Series MVP.

«We've got a special group of guys, man,» Smith said. «We just never gave up.… Oh man, that was a fight, for seven games.»

The Dodgers have dominated the National League West for more than a decade, claiming 12 division titles over the past 13 years. They rid themselves of their reputation as a team that continually fell short of