The 2025 MLB season comes down to Saturday’s World Series Game 7, but don’t expect an old-school pitcher’s duel.
The starting pitching matchup might matter less in Game 7 than in any other game of this World Series. With a championship on the line, both the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are prepared to empty the tank and mix and match in any way possible.
That likely means every pitcher outside of Game 6 starters Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kevin Gausman will be available — including Trey Yesavage, who diced up the Dodgers in the Blue Jays’ Game 5 victory.
So, who will actually start for each team? Here’s a look at the Game 7 pitching matchup.
MORE: Mookie Betts breaks out of slump to help Dodgers win Game 6
Dodgers-Blue Jays Game 7 starting pitchers
The Blue Jays announced Max Scherzer as their starting pitcher for Game 7, while the Dodgers did not immediately commit to a starter in Game 6 but are expected to start Shohei Ohtani, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman.
Starting Ohtani is the logical decision for the Dodgers, even on short rest, as the “Ohtani rule” only applies when he is a starter. If he entered the game as a reliever, the Dodgers would lose the designated hitter and have to put him in the outfield or remove him altogether once his pitching appearance ended.
By opening with Ohtani, Dave Roberts can keep him on the mound as little or as much as he wants and still keep his star in the lineup once he’s removed. Roberts said after Game 6 that Ohtani could pitch two innings, four innings, or anything in between, indicating he will take it inning by inning with the three-time MVP who just started on Tuesday.
For the Blue Jays, Scherzer will be pitching on normal rest. That doesn’t mean anyone should expect a lengthy outing. Scherzer has been fine in the postseason but struggled mightily late in the season. Toronto is expected to have every pitcher other than Gausman available, so the bullpen could be called upon as early as the first inning.
Saturday will mark Scherzer’s second World Series Game 7 start, as he was on the mound for the Washington Nationals the night they won the 2019 World Series.
MORE: How the Dodgers could use Shohei Ohtani in Game 7
Max Scherzer stats
Here is a look at how Scherzer has pitched this season.
2025 Regular Season
| Starts | W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K | K/9 |
| 17 | 5-5 | 85.0 | 5.19 | 1.29 | 82 | 8.7 |
2025 Postseason
| Starts | W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K | K/9 |
| 2 | 1-0 | 10.0 | 4.50 | 1.30 | 8 | 7.2 |
The 41-year-old Scherzer was off to a solid start for the Blue Jays before melting down over the closing weeks of the regular season. He finished the year with a 5.19 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 85 innings and didn’t make a start until the ALCS after being left off Toronto’s ALDS roster.
After an impressive ALCS start against the Seattle Mariners, Scherzer allowed three earned runs over 4.1 innings in the Blue Jays’ 18-inning Game 3 loss to the Dodgers on Monday.
MORE WORLD SERIES NEWS:
Max Scherzer vs. Shohei Ohtani
| Regular season | Postseason | |
| AVG | .333 | 1.000 |
| H-AB | 2-6 | 2-2 |
| HR | 0 | 1 |
| RBI | 0 | 1 |
| OPS | .833 | 4.000 |
Ohtani has a limited sample size against Scherzer but has hit him well, going 4-8 overall. That includes a home run and double in Game 3 of the World Series, when Ohtani reached base nine times in an 18-winning Dodgers win.
Shohei Ohtani stats
Here is a look at how Ohtani has pitched this season.
2025 Regular Season
| Starts | W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K | K/9 |
| 14 | 1-1 | 47.0 | 2.87 | 1.04 | 62 | 11.9 |
2025 Postseason
| Starts | W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K | K/9 |
| 3 | 2-1 | 18.0 | 3.50 | 0.89 | 25 | 12.5 |
Ohtani has impressed in his return to the mound, which began with brief, one-inning outings before he built his arm back up. Now, Ohtani is capable of throwing upwards of 100 pitches if needed.
After posting a 2.87 ERA in the regular season, Ohtani has a 3.50 postseason ERA, along with an improved 0.89 WHIP and 25 strikeouts to just five walks. Don’t expect 100 pitches from Ohtani in Game 7, given he’s on short rest, but Roberts left the door open for as many as four innings from the three-time MVP.
MORE SHOHEI OHTANI NEWS:
Shohei Ohtani vs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
| Regular season | Postseason | |
| AVG | .375 | .333 |
| H-AB | 3-8 | 1-3 |
| HR | 1 | 1 |
| RBI | 1 | 3 |
| OPS | 1.319 | 1.667 |
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has had success against Ohtani over a limited sample size, as he is 3-8 with a home run against his former AL counterpart in the regular season and hit a 2-run home run off Ohtani in Game 4 of the World Series.
