Ohtani, Dodgers chase repeat in Blue Jays World Series showdown

LOS ANGELES: The Shohei Ohtani-powered Los Angeles Dodgers will attempt to become the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back World Series on Friday when they face a Toronto Blue Jays side determined to end a decades-long title drought.

Twelve months after outgunning the New York Yankees in a blockbuster Fall Classic, the Dodgers are on the cusp of a second straight Major League Baseball championship.

The Blue Jays head into Friday’s Game 1 at Toronto’s Rogers Center with home advantage in the best-of-seven series due to their superior regular season record.

But the star-studded Dodgers lineup start as the clear favorites to win a ninth World Series crown, and their third in five years.

Japanese ace Ohtani is the centerpiece of an expensively assembled team which critics have accused of “ruining” baseball, which unlike many professional sports in North America, does not have a salary cap.

The Dodgers, who spent lavishly to improve their roster following last season’s World Series victory, are happy to be cast as villains.

“Before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped after his team completed a 4-0 sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers to book their World Series berth. “So let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball,” Roberts added.

Few would bet against Roberts and the Dodgers following through on that promise.

In Ohtani, the Dodgers have the reigning MLB Most Valuable Player, a pitching and hitting unicorn who is inarguably the best player on the planet, possibly even of all-time.

The 31-year-old electrified Dodger Stadium in last Friday’s series-clinching win over the Brewers, belting three home runs and striking out 10 batters in what many