The 6 biggest decisions facing the World Series managers
The biggest names in the 2025 World Series need no introduction, and really don’t even need to be identified by their full name – merely saying “Shohei, Vladdy, Mookie, and Mad Max” tells you about all you need to know. But as we’ve long learned by now, the main characters...
Dave Roberts
John Schneider
Why this will be the World Series of the splitter
You're going to see a kaleidoscope of the nastiest pitches in baseball when the Blue Jays and Dodgers face off in the World Series. But you're going to see one pitch in particular more than you ever have.
This is going to be the World Series of the splitter.
For...
Trey Yesavage
Kevin Gausman
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Shohei Ohtani
Roki Sasaki
The unique pitch fueling Snell's playoff dominance
The Dodgers are set to play for their second consecutive World Series title, and they ought to feel good about handing the ball to their Game 1 starter, Blake Snell, a certified ace on a rotation full of aces.
In three starts this postseason, Snell has a 0.86 ERA. He...
Blake Snell
Why the World Series could begin with a home run
Could the World Series begin with a home run?
There will be plenty of power in the leadoff spot on Friday night at Rogers Centre, thanks to Shohei Ohtani and George Springer. The pair combined for 87 regular-season home runs in 2025. According to Elias, that will set a new...
George Springer
Shohei Ohtani
The strength-vs-strength battle that will decide the World Series
In the regular season, no team's batters had a lower strikeout rate than the Blue Jays, and no team's pitchers struck out more batters than the Dodgers. Sometimes, the World Series narratives write themselves: Can the Blue Jays make enough contact against a pitching staff specifically designed to eliminate contact?...
Sasaki's not just thriving, he's doing it in an absolute pressure cooker
One month ago Tuesday, Roki Sasaki was in Tacoma, Wash., warming for his second career Triple-A relief outing. He entered in the sixth inning, getting two grounders and a strikeout as he retired a prospect and a pair of hitters who’d combined to hit .234/.268/.308 in the Majors this year...
Roki Sasaki
10 stats that illustrate Dodgers’ postseason pitching dominance
Shohei Ohtani may have stolen the show in the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series clincher on Friday night, delivering what was perhaps the most impressive individual performance in baseball history, given the stakes. But Los Angeles’ run to a second straight World Series has been about more than its two-way...
Ohtani's latest trick? Making his splitter reappear
Here's the thing about when Shohei Ohtani pitches: He always has another trick up his sleeve....
Shohei Ohtani
We're seeing more postseason intentional walks -- but do they actually help?
The intentional walk is mostly dead – except when it’s not. So far this postseason, it's come back into play, more so than in any October in years. Has it worked?
There have been 24 intentional walks so far in the postseason, with considerable ball yet to be played. Last...
Shohei Ohtani
Mookie Betts
This big change is keeping catchers like Raleigh fresh for October
Among the many, many, many impressive things about Cal Raleigh's 60-homer 2025 is something a lot more mundane, but extremely important: He showed up every day.
Ralegh played in 159 games. He took 705 plate appearances. In Sunday’s Game 1 of the ALCS, he caught all nine innings less than...
Cal Raleigh
