Under the lights at Dodger Stadium, baseball history unfolded last night in a way that reminded us why sports can transcend mere competition. The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers battled through 18 grueling innings in what many are already calling one of the most memorable World Series games ever played.
I watched from the press box as midnight came and went, the crowd thinning but growing more intense with each passing inning. The scoreboard seemed frozen at 2-2 from the seventh inning until Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s dramatic home run in the top of the 18th finally broke the deadlock, giving Toronto a 3-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“I just wanted to put the barrel on the ball,” Guerrero told me afterward, still dripping with champagne in the visitors’ clubhouse. “Everyone was exhausted. The pitchers had given everything. I felt like I owed it to them to end it.”
The six-hour, twenty-two-minute marathon became the longest World Series game since the 2018 contest between the Red Sox and Dodgers that went 18 innings. For Toronto, a franchise that hasn’t reached baseball’s pinnacle since Joe Carter’s iconic home run in 1993, this victory carries special weight.
In Toronto’s Jurassic Park viewing area outside Rogers Centre, thousands of fans stood through a chilly October night, many wrapped in blankets but refusing to leave. Videos circulating on social media showed the eruption when Guerrero’s ball cleared the left-field fence, a moment of collective catharsis after hours of tension.
“We’ve been waiting for this for thirty years,” said Marcus Thompson, 43, who watched the entire game at a packed Real Sports Bar near the Rogers Centre. “My dad took me to the ’93 World Series when I was 12. Now I’m here with my own kid. Baseball gives you these generational moments.”
The cultural significance of this Blue Jays run extends beyond Toronto. Canada’s only MLB team has reconnected with fans across the country in ways reminiscent of the glory days. Television ratings from Bell Media indicate this postseason run has averaged 3.2 million viewers per game, making these broadcasts among the most-watched programs in Canada this fall.
From a pure baseball perspective, both teams demonstrated extraordinary resilience. The pitching staffs combined to use 16 relievers. Blue Jays manager John Schneider deployed every position player on his roster, while Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts was forced to use pitcher Walker Buehler as a pinch hitter in the 16th inning when his bench was depleted.
“There’s a point where it’s beyond strategy,” Schneider said in the post-game press conference, his voice hoarse from the emotional roller coaster. “It becomes about character and will.”
What made this contest particularly compelling was watching players push through physical and mental fatigue. By the 15th inning, several players were noticeably cramping, trainers making frequent visits to the field. Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts was seen stretching between pitches, while Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk squatted behind the plate for all 18 innings, an extraordinary feat of endurance.
“My legs don’t exist anymore,” Kirk joked afterward. “But in the World Series, pain doesn’t matter.”
The game also highlighted baseball’s struggle with pace of play, even as the sport has implemented a pitch clock to speed up games. The marathon contest ended at 1:23 a.m. local time, with players having been at the stadium for over 12 hours when factoring in pregame preparations.
Sports psychologist Dr. Alanna Jewett of the University of British Columbia notes that these types of epic contests create lasting bonds among teammates and fans alike. “Shared struggle creates deeper connections than easy victories,” she explained when I contacted her this morning. “These players will remember this game for the rest of their lives, not just because they won, but because of what they endured together.”
For Dodgers fans, the defeat was crushing but came with a measure of pride. “Obviously we wanted to win,” said longtime season ticket holder Carmen Rodriguez, 67. “But being part of a game like this, it almost feels bigger than winning or losing. I’ll tell my grandkids about this one.”
The Blue Jays now lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for tonight. Both managers acknowledged the challenge of quick turnaround, with Schneider confirming several roster moves are being considered to bring in fresh arms.
As dawn broke over Los Angeles this morning, bleary-eyed fans from both sides were still processing what they’d witnessed. When Guerrero’s home run ball disappeared into the pavilion, it wasn’t just a go-ahead run in a baseball game—it was one of those rare sporting moments that transcend the box score to become cultural touchstones.
From a tiny Toronto apartment where a family of recent immigrants cheered for their adopted team to multi-generational households in British Columbia staying up past midnight, this game connected Canadians in the unique way that only sports can. In Los Angeles, despite the heartbreaking outcome, fans filed out of Dodger Stadium with the quiet satisfaction of having witnessed something extraordinary.
Baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, creates these unexpected theaters of human drama. Last night, for six hours on a diamond in Los Angeles, it reminded us why we watch.
