How do you outdo a game that lasted forever on Monday night-Tuesday morning? Los Angeles, Toronto will wipe the sleep from their eyes and try their best.
Eighteen long, laborious, incredible innings came to a crescendo for Los Angeles Dodgers fans as Freddie Freeman set the night on fire with a mighty swing of his bat.
Freeman, who won Game 1 of the 2024 World Series with a game-winning grand slam against the New York Yankees, played hero yet again. His solo home run leading off the bottom of the 18th inning on Monday night (Tuesday morning on the East Coast) was all that mattered.
The Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven 2025 World Series. It was a six-hour, 39-minute classic that seemed like it would never end.
Until it did.
Books will be written about this one game. You want heroes, Dodgers fans? Will Klein, who put together one of the gutsiest relief appearances in World Series history, received a postgame visit in the Dodgers clubhouse from none other than Sandy Koufax.
Koufax! When you get the greatest Dodgers pitcher of all time making a beeline for you, then you've received the blessing of Sandy.
"We weren’t losing that game," Klein, who was the 10th pitcher the Dodgers used on Monday night, said, according to The Athletic. "I just had to keep going back out and keep doing that."
Shohei Ohtani? Oh mercy. Ohtani reached base NINE times (four hits, five walks). He hit two home runs and an RBI double, all key hits in a game of key hits.
Baseball stats maven Sarah Langs put together an excellent review at MLB.com of 11 facts from Game 3. Among those facts, Langs dropped this big tidbit of information about Ohtani.
"After his four extra-base hits, Ohtani was walked five times, four of which were intentional," Langs wrote. "He is the first player to be intentionally walked four times in a postseason game. Three of the intentional walks came with the bases empty.
"He is the first player to be intentionally walked with the bases empty multiple times in a postseason game," Langs wrote. "The only other player to be intentionally walked with the bases empty in a World Series game is Albert Pujols in 2011, Game 5."
After Freeman touched home plate, Ohtani, Roki Sasaki (who came in clutch, too) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (more on him in a minute) celebrated in the outfield with their translators.
Yamamoto didn't get into the game, OK. But he reportedly volunteered to come into the game if needed from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Fox TV cameras caught Yamamoto warming up in the bullpen. If the game had gone into the 19th inning, then it's highly probable that he comes into the game.
Klein's arm was about to fall off at that point.
Dodgers fans even got a Clayton Kershaw sighting. Kershaw, who's calling it a career once the World Series ends (win or lose for Los Angeles), came on in the 12th. He entered with the bases loaded and two outs for Toronto. Kershaw's postseason pitching record isn't much to write home about, so LA fans might have been feeling a bit queasy.
They didn't need to feel that way. Old Clayton came on and got the out, letting out a yell as he left the field. That's all Roberts asked Kershaw to do. Get that one out. Fox cameras caught Roberts giving Kershaw a hug in the Dodgers dugout.
"I’m spent emotionally," Roberts said. "We’ve got a ballgame later tonight. Which is crazy."
Game 3 was a pitching masterpiece from both the Dodgers and Blue Jays. The bullpens were outstanding for the most part.
Defense? There was plenty of that with baserunners getting thrown out at third base and at home plate. Also, there were a couple of errors mixed into the game as well.
Toronto manager John Schneider, who saw his Blue Jays fight tooth and nail in Game 3 despite the loss, had nothing but praise for his players and their efforts.
"I love the way we played," Schneider said. "I love the way we fought. I think every single player had the right intentions on both sides tonight."
One thing, among many, to keep an eye on is whether or not leadoff hitter George Springer is in the lineup for Game 4. Springer was in the middle of an at-bat when he tweaked something in his bat after taking a swing. He immediately reached back and seemed to touch his lower back area. Springer called a Blue Jays trainer out to plate and immediately left the game.
Alejandro Kirk's three-run home run gave Toronto a 3-2 lead at one point. In fact, the Blue Jays upped their lead to 4-2 before the Dodgers came back.
Way back in the first inning, Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow and Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer were dealing. But they both were out of the game by the fifth inning, opening the door for what ultimately was a bullpen game.
There is another game on Tuesday night. That's Game 4 with Ohtani taking the mound for the Dodgers against Shane Beiber for the Blue Jays.
The Dodgers are in prime position to go up 3-1 in the 2025 World Series.
One more thing to think about as Game 4 looms ahead in the next few hours. Which team will have the bigger hangover from Game 3? The Dodgers? The Blue Jays?
Let's see if Dodger Blue can come on through yet again.