The Toronto Blue Jays made this edition of the Fall Classic an international affair Monday night by clinching the AL pennant with a thrilling win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the ALCS.

Up next is their toughest test yet in the World Series. They’ll face the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who are fresh off a dominant NLCS sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. The action starts Friday in Toronto.

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Here’s a look at the World Series schedule and top storylines entering the championship round:

World Series (best of seven, all times ET)

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24 — Dodgers at Blue Jays, 8 p.m., Fox, Fox Deportes
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25 — Dodgers at Blue Jays, 8 p.m., Fox, Fox Deportes
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27 — Blue Jays at Dodgers, 8 p.m., Fox, Fox Deportes
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28 — Blue Jays at Dodgers, 8 p.m., Fox, Fox Deportes
Game 5*: Wednesday, Oct. 29 — Blue Jays at Dodgers, 8 p.m., Fox, Fox Deportes
Game 6*: Friday, Oct. 31 — Dodgers at Blue Jays, 8 p.m., Fox, Fox Deportes
Game 7*: Saturday, Nov. 1 — Dodgers at Blue Jays, 8 p.m., Fox, Fox Deportes

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Top 5 storylinesHow else will Shohei Othani leave us in awe?

It’ll be nearly impossible for the Dodgers’ superstar to top his historic NLCS Game 4 performance, in which he homered three times — including one that left Dodger Stadium — and held the Milwaukee Brewers scoreless through six innings with 10 strikeouts as L.A.’s starting pitcher.

But underestimating Ohtani’s greatness has proven foolish throughout his MLB career, as he has repeatedly made observers expand their imaginations on what exactly a baseball player can do. We’re all in for a treat as Ohtani is back on the World Series stage.

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Last season, he was largely quiet in the Fall Classic, in part due to a shoulder injury. But he’ll come into this year’s World Series on a heater and fresh off arguably the greatest individual performance in baseball history. Will he continue to wow us against the Blue Jays?

Can Vlad Guerrero Jr. cement his place in baseball history and do what his dad didn’t?

The Dodgers don’t own a monopoly on exciting players this fall.

Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. started his MLB career with the weight of enormous expectations as the son of a beloved Hall of Famer and former MVP, Vladimir Guerrero. In seven seasons with the Blue Jays, it’s safe to say that the younger Guerrero has not wilted under the pressure.

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Guerrero is a five-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, Home Run Derby champion, Gold Glove winner, All-Star Game MVP and, as of Monday, the owner of an ALCS MVP trophy after hitting three home runs in the ALCS vs. the Mariners. He’s one of the most exciting players in baseball.

It has already been a scorcher of a postseason for Guerrero, who leads baseball with six home runs. And there’s no reason — other than Dodgers’ pitching, that is — to think he’ll slow down under the bright lights of the Fall Classic. There, he’ll attempt to achieve the one major baseball feat his father didn’t manage: winning a World Series. If Vlad Jr. does, he’ll move into the next echelon of MLB greats.

Dodgers don’t mind playing the bad guy

Manager Dave Roberts said the quiet part out loud after winning the NL pennant, when he welcomed the hate that his big-spending Dodgers constantly hear.

“Before this season started, they said, ‘The Dodgers are ruining baseball,'” Roberts quipped. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!”

The $350 million-plus payroll indeed has helped the Dodgers reach the final boss stage of the baseball season for a second straight year. And Roberts isn’t shying away from it.

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The Dodgers are willing to spend to compete for championships, and there’s no shame in that. If you don’t like it, build a better team. This is the Dodgers’ mantra as they look to secure another championship.

And it’s nice to see that Roberts isn’t sidestepping the issue, even knowing that he has little to no room for error. Because, with that payroll, the Dodgers are “supposed” to be here. And the men in blue don’t mind wearing the black hat in October.

The Max Scherzer wild card

While Ohtani and Guerrero steal the headlines from star-studded rosters that also feature Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and George Springer, a battle-tested wild card and future Hall of Famer has a chance to make his own mark on the series.

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Arguably nobody in this series is more playoff-tested than 41-year-old Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer, the owner of three Cy Youngs, two no-hitters and eight trips to the All-Star Game. He has also been here before — three times, to be exact.

Scherzer has pitched in the World Series for three teams: in 2012 with the Detroit Tigers, in 2019 with the Washington Nationals and in 2023 with the Texas Rangers. He has four World Series starts (two with the Nationals), two wins as a starting pitcher and two World Series rings, with the Nationals and Rangers. He started in Washington’s Game 7 victory over the Astros in 2019.

One of the most intimidating pitchers of his generation, Scherzer continues to have no fear and plenty of anger when on the mound. It’s a trait that comes in handy when the stakes are this high. Scherzer isn’t what he used to be, as demonstrated by his 5.19 ERA in the regular season. But he was strong in his lone postseason start, allowing two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win in Game 4 against the Mariners.

Scherzer’s role for the World Series is undefined. But whether he gets another start or action out of the bullpen, how he performs could end up being pivotal.

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Dodgers looking for historic back-to-back titles

We haven’t seen a repeat MLB champion since the New York Yankees truly lived up to the “Evil Empire” moniker when they reeled off three straight titles from 1998 to 2000.

In those three World Series, the Yankees lost one game. So, yeah, we’ve seen a team “ruin” baseball before. This is the history the Dodgers are flirting with if they can pull off a second straight title. Mookie Betts, for one, is looking forward to the chance to go back-to-back.

“That’s something that I think we’ll all take pride in because it hasn’t been done in so long,” he told MLB.com after the Dodgers swept the Brewers.