TORONTO — The march toward destiny was completed a quarter past midnight on Saturday.
It was as unbelievable, indescribable, long-dreamt-of and yet entirely unexpected.
In Game 7 of the World Series, the Dodgers cemented a dynasty with one of the greatest games this sport has ever seen.
They beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings, riding one season-saving play after another to repeat as champions.
There was a miraculous ninth-inning comeback, when Miguel Rojas tied the game with a home run to left field. There was a frantic escape in a bases-loaded jam the next half inning, the Dodgers staring down certain death, only to once again prevail.
In the 11th, the Dodgers finally won it, taking their first lead on a Will Smith home run with two outs in the top-half, then watching Yoshinobu Yamamoto — in his third inning of work, a night after throwing 96 pitches in a Game 6 win — close it all out with a heroic final three outs.
For ages, this game will be remembered. As long as baseball is played, a script like this will never be replicated.
The Dodgers looked buried early, after falling behind three runs when a hobbled Bo Bichette took an exhausted Shohei Ohtani deep in the third inning. They seemed finished until the ninth, clawing back close but never completely erasing the deficit — until Rojas saved the season with a tying home run to left.
Even then, salvation wasn’t assured. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Blue Jays had the bases loaded, but somehow didn’t break through.
Rojas saved the day for a second time on a ground ball at second base, fielding it from a drawn-in position before firing for a force-out at home plate. The next batter, Ernie Clement, sent a fly ball to deep left-center. Kiké Hernández and defensive replacement Andy Pages collided at the warning track. Pages held on as Hernández hit the deck.
The game would continue, with the Dodgers squandering their own bases-loaded opportunity in the top of the 10th.
The only reason it lasted so long was Yamamoto, who first entered the fray in the middle of the ninth-inning jam, then followed that up by retiring the side in order in the 10th.
Finally, in the 11th, the Dodgers saw the finish line.
With two outs in the inning, Smith turned on a hanging 2-and-0 slider from Shane Bieber and sent the go-ahead home run into the Blue Jays’ bullpen.
Three outs remained. Yamamoto returned to the mound. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led with a double as Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw warmed in the bullpen. Manager Dave Roberts stayed in the dugout, trusting his ascendant staff ace to pitch the team to a championship.
On a broken-bat ground ball from Alejandro Kirk, with runners on the corners and one out in the inning, he finally did.
The bouncing ball was fielded by shortstop Mookie Betts. He went to second himself for the first out, then leapt and fired one last throw to first. Freddie Freeman caught it. The Dodgers poured out of the dugouts.
They were champions again, their dynasty cemented.
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