The Numbers Behind the 2025 World Series

The 2025 World Series was a wild one, to say the least. It saw home runs, plenty of strikeouts, clutch hits, and even a bench-clearing incident. Now that the 2025 World Series, let’s do a quick crunch on some of the numbers behind the seven-game series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers.

227

That’s how many splitters were thrown during the 2025 World Series.

It’s not hard to see why exactly that many splitters were thrown between the Blue Jays and Dodgers. Both teams had pitchers who leaned heavily on that pitch. Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage for the Jays, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Roki Sasaki were among the heavy users of it on the Dodgers.

Diving more into the numbers, 56 of the 120 induced swings (46.7%) off the split in the World Series resulted in a swing-and-miss. In a series filled with power hitters, particularly ones who love to see the fastball, the splitter was the en vogue choice of weapon.

For those wondering, Kevin Gausman induced the most swings-and-misses in that series off the splitter, with 23. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was second with 17, while Yesavage had nine. However, all but one of Yesavage’s whiffs off the splitter were on two-strike counts.

6:39

The length of time of Game 3 in Los Angeles.

That game was a true tone-setter in that series. Both teams were in a 1-1 deadlock heading into Game 3. Shohei Ohtani, the target of the Blue Jays two winters ago, pounded the Jays in that game, as he went 4-4 with two home runs before Toronto opted not to pitch to him altogether. Ohtani was walked five times afterwards, four intentional and one unintentional (but intentional).

Los Angeles, meanwhile, nearly gave the game away when Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run home run to give the Jays the lead. It didn’t last, however.

What followed was an extra-innings standoff in a game marred by aggressive sends on the basepaths, 29 strikeouts, and a gutsy four-inning performance from Will Klein. That set the stage for yet another Freddie Freeman World Series walkoff.

30

The total number of hits Ernie Clement had in the playoffs, a new postseason record.

Clement went from a Minor League signing just a few years ago to a Blue Jays sparkplug. Not only did Clement prove his value over the past few seasons with his glove but also his ability to stay short and make consistent contact.

Breaking down his numbers even further, 22 of his 30 base hits came off fastballs.

9%

The win expectancy the Dodgers had with one out in the top of the ninth during Game 7.

Jeff Hoffman needed two outs to get the Blue Jays across the finish line. Hoffman struck out Enrique Hernandez to get the first out in the ninth inning before Miguel Rojas came up. Rojas had only one postseason home run to his name before Game 7, which came in the 2020 NLDS against the Braves while he was a member of the Marlins.

Hoffman, on a 3-2 count, threw a slider in the zone that was somewhat reminiscent of the one he threw to Julio Rodriguez in Game 7 of the last round. This one, though, wasn’t out of the zone. It got part of the plate, and Rojas drove it enough to give the Dodgers new life in the ninth inning.

Two innings later, Will Smith hit the game-winning home run off Shane Bieber to give the Dodgers a lead that wouldn’t be relinquished.

25

The number of years in between the Yankees‘ three-peat in 2000 and the Dodgers‘ repeat in 2025.

Repeats in sports are tough. Rosters change over on a dime, and injuries can wreak havoc on any team’s championship hopes. The Dodgers overcame injuries in 2024 to win. And in 2025, the Dodgers — despite bullpen woes and tough playoff matchups in the NLDS and World Series — did something that hadn’t been done in a quarter-century.