⚾ Drama Building: Ninth Inning Heroics
The night had already been electric, but what unfolded in the ninth inning of Game 7 transformed an intense baseball showdown into an instant classic — the kind of finish that generations of fans will replay for decades.
As the top of the ninth began, the Toronto Blue Jays stood just three outs away from their first World Series championship since 1993. The crowd inside Rogers Centre was deafening — over 48,000 fans on their feet, waving towels, hearts pounding. Toronto led 4–3, and closer Jeff Hoffman was called upon to deliver the final three outs that would end decades of waiting.
The Dodgers, down to their last breath, sent veteran Miguel Rojas to the plate. A light-hitting infielder known more for his glove than his power, Rojas represented the last flicker of hope. With a full count and the tension at breaking point, Hoffman delivered a 96-mph fastball that drifted just over the plate — and Rojas launched it. The ball soared deep to left field, the crowd gasping as it kept carrying… and carrying… until it disappeared into the stands.
Home run! The stadium fell into stunned silence, while the Dodgers’ dugout erupted. Rojas circled the bases screaming in disbelief, his teammates pouring onto the field. The game was tied 4–4, and the Dodgers — once inches from defeat — had snatched life from the jaws of elimination.
“I just tried to put a good swing on it,” Rojas said afterward, still grinning. “When it went out, I couldn’t believe it myself.”
But the drama wasn’t done.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Jays refused to fold. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ripped a single. Then Bo Bichette reached on a walk, and a misplayed bunt put runners on base with one out. The Blue Jays were again a single away from victory.
That’s when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a gutsy move — bringing in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, his ace starter, on one day’s rest. The Japanese phenom coolly induced a grounder for a force at the plate, then faced George Springer, Toronto’s veteran star. On a 1-2 pitch, Springer lifted a shallow fly to right. Andy Pages came charging in and made a diving, tumbling catch that saved the game.
The Dodgers exhaled. The Blue Jays buried their heads.
As the inning ended, one truth was clear: this Game 7 wasn’t over — it was just getting started.
