Shohei Ohtani gets nod for Game 7 of World Series as Dodgers quest for back-to-back titles continues

With the 2025 World Series title on the line, the Dodgers will send star player Shohei Ohtani to the mound in what will be the most important start of his career to date. 

After a thrilling and controversial ending to Game 6, the fate of the season falls to Game 7, with the Dodgers seeking back-to-back titles, while the Toronto Blue Jays look to end a 31-year World Series drought in front of their home fans. 

Ohtani, who started Game 4 of the series, will be pitching on short rest. In his most recent appearance, he went six innings and allowed four earned runs on six hits. He struck out six and allowed one home run, which would end up being the deciding factor in the game. 

Toronto will send seasoned veteran Max Scherzer to the mound. He most recently started in Game 3 of the series, lasting four and 1/3 innings while allowing three earned runs on two homers, one to Ohtani and the other to Teoscar Hernández. He struck out three batters in what wound up being a marathon 18-inning game. 

Now 41, Scherzer also started Game 7 in the 2019 World Series while he was a member of the Washington Nationals, earning the win by tossing five innings of two-run ball against the Houston Astros. 

Los Angeles will send a similar lineup to the plate to what fans saw in Game 6, with the only change coming in some rearranged spots in the order. Ohtani will lead up, followed by Will Smith, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts at cleanup. Max Muncy will hit fifth instead of six, with Teoscar Hernández shifting back to the six-hole, followed by Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas. 

The Blue Jays are also sending the same starting nine out against Ohtani on Saturday night, but similarly switched the order of some batters. George Springer, Nathan Lukes, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette round out the top four, followed by Addison Barger, Alejandro Kirk, Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez. 

Guerrero Jr. slugged the decisive homer in Game 4 against Ohtani, a three-run shot to deep left field. He now has eight postseason long balls, two of which have come in the World Series.