The Final Boss: What the World Series Blue Jays are up against

After handily defeating the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, then notching a come-from-behind heroic win over the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays have made it to the World Series.

The Jays will battle the Los Angeles Dodgers: the Final Boss. 

There’s no doubt the Blue Jays are a special team this year, capturing the imagination of the entire country. But the Dodgers are a behemoth of a baseball club.

How do the two teams stack up? These five charts tell the story of a potential dynasty versus an underdog.

Haters will moan about the Dodgers’ enormous payroll, and indeed they spent the most money of any team in the MLB this past season at $350 million US, according to Spotrac, which tracks finances in professional sports. But if L.A. drives a Rolls-Royce, Toronto is no slouch either, cruising around town in a Mercedes-Benz with its $255-million US payroll.

What’s interesting, however, is that L.A. spent $95 million US more than Toronto — and won one fewer regular season games.

But there are more numbers to follow than just money; let's not forget home runs. Because when it comes to Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers' two-way phenom strikes fear in many Jays' fans.

Why?

Though Toronto fans have enjoyed fireworks from George Springer (32 home runs during the regular season) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (23), Ohtani matches both sluggers combined, with a staggering 55 home runs on his own.

It's not all bad news on the batting front, though. Toronto had the highest batting average and the highest on-base percentage of any team in the regular season.

On paper, the Dodgers' pitching lineup has been objectively stronger than the Jays during the post-season, with