It's a game of inches: Blue Jays' missed opportunities define Game 7

Game 7. The two best words in sports...unless you were a Toronto Blue Jays fan on November 1st, 2025. In a gut-wrenching 5-4 loss to the Dodgers in 11 innings, Toronto had an abundance of opportunities to capture its first World Series title since 1993. It's a game that was watched by millions of viewers and for the Blue Jays fans, a game they will never forget, for all the wrong reasons.

The opportunities for the Blue Jays started early. In the bottom of the second inning, Toronto had Bichette and Barger on first and second with nobody out but failed to capitalize. What followed were two quick outs, a single that Bo couldn’t score on because of his hamstring, and a strikeout that ended the inning. Missed chances like that would loom large when the ninth rolled around.

It's a game of inches: Blue Jays' missed opportunities define Game 7

After the Blue Jays jumped out to a 3–0 lead on a Bo Bichette home run, the Dodgers threatened in the fourth, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. After a Betts flyout and a Muncy walk, Los Angeles had the bases loaded with one out — but Daulton Varsho came up huge with a diving catch in center, limiting the damage to just one run on a Teoscar Hernández sacrifice fly.

In the next at-bat, Guerrero Jr. made a diving stop on a Tommy Edman line drive that would’ve surely scored two more. Plays like those had Blue Jays fans believing this might finally be their night.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Jays were threatening again. Ernie Clement led off with a single and stole second, and Andrés Giménez followed with an RBI double to make it 4–2 Toronto. But with Giménez on second and nobody out, the Blue Jays went quietly — a strikeout, a line out, and a groundout ended the inning. It felt like the moment Toronto could’ve blown the game open. They didn’t, and it would come back to haunt them.

In the top of the seventh, Trey Yesavage took the mound and immediately issued a leadoff walk to Shohei Ohtani. At that point, it felt like the biggest moment of the game, with the heart of the Dodgers’ order due up. If the Blue Jays could escape the inning, you sensed they might just finish the job.

What followed was a deep flyout from Will Smith and an electrifying double play that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. started on a Freddie Freeman grounder. Suddenly, the Blue Jays were just six outs away from a World Series title, and the Rogers Centre crowd could sense it.

After a Max Muncy solo homer in the eighth cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 4–3, Ernie Clement opened the bottom half with a double, setting Toronto up for a massive insurance run. But instead of cashing in what could’ve been the most important run of the game, the Jays came up empty — a lineout followed by back-to-back strikeouts. That left it up to Jeff Hoffman to try to close out the franchise’s first World Series title in over three decades.

With Enrique Hernández striking out to start the ninth, the Blue Jays were just two outs away. What followed will haunt their fans forever. On a 3–2 count, Jeff Hoffman hung a slider down the middle to Miguel Rojas — a hitter who hadn’t hit a home run off a right-hander all season. What should’ve been a fastball anywhere near the zone instead turned into a hanging breaking ball that Rojas launched into the seats above the Jays’ bullpen.

After Hoffman retired the next two batters, the Blue Jays were threatening in the bottom of the 9th with a chance to walk it off and send the Rogers Centre into a frenzy. Instead, it's an inning that Blue Jays fans will never want to relive.

With the bases loaded and 1 out, Varsho grounded to Miguel Rojas at second base. Isiah Kiner-Falefa tried to score but was out by inches on the force play at home. A controversial play, one that might have ended the game if he had taken a better lead on third.

Next, Ernie Clement sent a fly ball to left field that looked like it would win the game, only for Andy Pages to sprint in from center and make the biggest catch of his career, and give the Dodgers another chance to steal the game.

Fast-forward to the top of the 11th, Shane Bieber came into the game and got two outs on only 3 pitches, giving Blue Jays fans hope. However, after two straight balls to Will Smith, Bieber hung his knuckle-curveball right down the middle and Smith drilled it to left field, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 lead, and ultimately the winning run of the game.

In the bottom of the inning, Guerrero Jr. led off with a double to left field. Kiner-Falefa executed a perfect bunt, moving him over to third. A walk to Barger followed, setting the stage for Alejandro Kirk’s biggest at-bat of the game—but it ended in a double play to Mookie Betts, a scenario Blue Jays fans have come to dread when Kirk steps to the plate.

After a postseason run that captivated fans across Canada, the season came to a close in a game filled with missed opportunities. This Blue Jays season will be remembered long after the heartbreak.

While several factors contributed to the loss, leaving 14 men on base and failing to drive in runs—despite being the best postseason team with runners in scoring position—ultimately cost them a World Series title. Still, what lies ahead for Toronto is uncertain, but the excitement and promise this team brought to fans across Canada will not soon be forgotten.