Five things to know about the World Series

TORONTO , The Toronto Blue Jays will meet the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series starting Friday at Rogers Centre. Here are five things you need to know before Major League Baseball’s championship series begins:

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE — Who hosts Games 1 and 2 — as well as the climactic seventh game — of the World Series has been determined by different means over the championship’s 122-year history. This season it’s based off of the teams’ regular-season win percentage. The Blue Jays had a .580 win percentage compared to L.A.’s .574 mark, so Rogers Centre will host the first two games and Games 6 and 7 if necessary.

OHTANI BRIDESMAIDS — When Shohei Ohtani became a free agent in 2023 and made it clear he intended to leave the Los Angeles Angels, there were strong indications that he would sign with the Blue Jays. It turns out that he and agent Nez Balelo were using the negotiations with Toronto as leverage to get a 10-year, US$700 million deal to stay in L.A. but move to the Dodgers.

WAGE GAP — Los Angeles has one of the highest payrolls in all of baseball, spending about $509.5 million on players this season, with their $341.5 million payroll plus $168 million in projected luxury tax. That nearly doubles the Blue Jays’ $252.7 million payroll with a projected $13.4 million in tax.

HISTORY — The Dodgers’ eight World Series championships are fifth in MLB history. This year will be their 23rd appearance in the Fall Classic playing out of both Brooklyn, N.Y., and Los Angeles. It’s Toronto’s third trip to the World Series, having won the previous appearances in the championship series in 1992 and 1993. The Blue Jays are tied with the Florida Marlins, L.A. Angels and Washington Nationals for having perfect winning percentages in the World Series.

BALLPARKS — Despite opening 37 years apart, Dodgers Stadium and Rogers Centre are the third and sixth oldest stadiums in Major League Baseball respectively. L.A.’s ballpark was opened in 1962 and seats 56,000 fans, easily the most in MLB. Rogers Centre opened in 1989 and can hold approximately 42,000 spectators, 10th in the league.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2025.