Tom Verducci Calls Dodgers-Blue Jays Game 7 One Of The Best Games He’s Witnessed | 11/3/25

Tom Verducci Calls Dodgers-Blue Jays Game 7 One Of The Best Games He’s Witnessed | 11/3/25

Tom, if I said, “What do you think is going to happen in game seven before game seven unfolded?” You would have said, “What?” Um, I liked Toronto going into that game because they were home. But, um, I did not expect that Yoshinobi Yamamoto was going to pitch in that game at all. I really didn’t. It wasn’t on my bingo card that after pitching game six, he’d come back the next day. That was a difference maker. What do you think was the turning point in the game? Uh, well, the home run by Miggy Rojos, right? I mean, the Jays are two outs away from the first World Series in 32 years. You got your closer on the mound. It’s a 3-2 count, number nine hitter. I understand you can’t walk him because Otani is on deck. He’s the go-ahehead run, right? So, you have to throw a strike. What I didn’t like was throwing a slider. When you have to throw a strike, that’s a strike to strike pitch. I’d rather just throw a fast ball, challenge him. Uh, and it was a hanger. I mean, the it’s a home run that you didn’t see coming. Kind of like that Raj Davis home run in 16. This happened to be two outs from the the end of the game. So, that was the turning point. And after that, I just thought the air came out of the building. It was going to be tough to beat the Dodgers at that point, given that such a a renewed life right there. But, listen, that that was a stunning as stunning of a home run as I’ve seen in the World Series. is Mickey Roas. You bring up a great point because you got Otani on deck and you’re just kind of thinking, I just got to get through this. He’s the ninth hitter. Let me just get through this so I don’t have to worry, you know, about Otani with anybody on. And um I mean, there were so many little moments here, but that’s what makes up these great games. It’s small moments that can lead to big moments as well. And that’s what was fascinating about this is both teams had those moments. You either capitalized or you didn’t. Totally, Dan. And I think that’s what made this series and especially this game stand apart. They’ve been at a lot of great games obviously, but there you can go back like watching a great movie, right? You go back and watch it a second, third, fourth time. It never gets old because you go back and you refine something like, “Oh, I forgot about that point or that line in this movie.” How about Andy Pahz going into the game, Dan? I’m sitting there next to the Dodgers dugout. Andy PZ was as involved in the game as I was. He’s sitting there with his hoodie on just watching the game and all of a sudden Danny Leman, the bench coach, runs down there and says, “Get in there. This is bases loaded.” Ninth inning and he just ripped off his hoodie. Hadn’t warmed up at all. Runs out to center field. Two batters later, there he is playing Superman, jumping over Kik Hernandez to literally save the game, right? That looked for all intents and purposes like Ernie Clement was going to be the World Series MVP. The Jays were going to be World Champions and he flies out of nowhere. I mean, he must have ran more than 100 ft to get that ball. That was one of the great World Series catches of all time because of what was on the line. But was it okay? We know the result, but was it a smart play by him in the moment? You know, they tell you as a center fielder, go get what you can get, right? So, I I think it was in the moment because he was fearless going after that ball. I’m not sure that Kik would have caught it over the shoulder with his face about 5t from the wall at that point. So, I think it it was a play that had to be made. There was a risk. Obviously, they collide and the ball falls. I mean, what a way that would have been to lose a World Series. But I I love the aggressiveness from that kid. He didn’t hit it all in the postseason. Uh he’s got a play he’ll remember forever. Yeah, I agree with you. Center field, you you have control. You have license to go after because of the angle. And that’s why I thought, okay, you may bull over your teammate, but you have a better angle than he does. And and he ended up holding on to it. Uh, one thing that I thought was so small, well, maybe it wasn’t touched on as much that you have the, you know, IKF at he’s not off third base, Tom, and on contact I’m going. I just didn’t know why he didn’t have a little bit more of a lead knowing if it’s a ground ball, you’re going. And I I thought that it became it shouldn’t have been close at home. I I thought that he would have been down the line a little bit. Yeah, it’s a great point. And in real time, I had the same reaction. Uh, but looking at it again, and a lot of teams teach this in that situation, shorter lead at third because the worst thing that can happen is what, a line drive, and you get doubled up and the game’s over. So, there’s more of the emphasis on a better secondary than getting the longer primary lead at third base. He’s a smart baseball player. I am not going to question him on that. I think he was. We already saw a line drive to Muny in that game. I don’t know how he caught other than self-defense. Uh you cannot get doubled up at third base. I think that’s the right way to go. You can argue he could have been a little more aggressive, but on this case, I’ll air on the side of uh IKF being a smart ball player, making the right call. Was that the greatest game that you’ve ever been a part of? I have a hard time putting it up above game seven of 2016. Um, you know, I still go back to that 17minute rain delay that just that pregnant pause in the game. You’re like, the game is tied in the World Series and we’re going to stop and have a 17-minute timeout with two teams that hadn’t won in forever. Um, and that was another game, by the way, that had so many twists and turns. It wasn’t just the end, it was all the pivot points in the course of the game where history was changing minute by minute. This is right up there, though, because again, I think there was so much to absorb in this game, Dan. actually the whole series where I don’t know how many times you thought this like the Dodgers are going to win the World Series, the Jays are going to win the World Series, right? Yeah, I mean it was you couldn’t have written any better as far as cliffhers

FOX Sports MLB analyst Tom Verducci joins the Dan Patrick Show and recaps the Los Angeles Dodgers winning Game 7 of the World Series 5-4 over the Toronto Blue Jays to repeat as World Series champs