As the Dodgers swarmed the field and the crowd at Dodger Stadium lit up close to midnight on the West Coast in celebration of Freddie Freeman hitting a walk-off home run to finally end Game 3 of the World Series in the 18th inning, the Blue Jays solemnly walked off the field as they fell to 1-2 in the series.
The Blue Jays and Dodgers became tied at 5-5 during the seventh inning on Monday night, and for over 10 innings, neither team could manage another run. The Blue Jays held strong for eight extra innings as they saw multiple changes to their lineup while reliever Eric Lauer came through with 4.2 scoreless innings late in the game. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to manage another run and could not hold on any longer when Freeman came to the plate for the last time.
Though it was an absolutely disheartening loss—one that statistically gives the Dodgers an edge according to past results—Blue Jays manager John Schneider reminded everyone after the game, "The Dodgers didn't win the World Series today, they won a game."
"The Dodgers didn't win the World Series tonight, they won a game."
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 28, 2025
John Schneider on the Blue Jays keeping the right mindset. pic.twitter.com/UiMRNeq84T
Since the game went until almost midnight on the West Coast, both the Dodgers and Blue Jays have a short turnaround before they play again on Tuesday. The status of George Springer, who left the game early with discomfort in his right side, is uncertain, but otherwise Schneider feels his team will be ready to go for Game 4.
"This group is going to be ready to play tomorrow," Schneider said. "It's longest game in World Series history, tied for it. These guys are enjoying it, they were in the right mindset and the right headspace the entire time. It sucks that it's late right now and we got to come back and do it again tomorrow, but these guys are gonna be more than ready."
The good news for the Blue Jays is that the last time the Dodgers played in an 18-inning World Series Game 3, in 2018, they went on to lose the series to the Red Sox. The difference, though, was Boston had a 2-0 series lead entering Game 3.
Shane Bieber will start for the Blue Jays on Tuesday while their lineup with face Shohei Ohtani, who's getting the start for the Dodgers in Game 4. The Blue Jays will look to rebound and get the win to even the series at 2-2. If not, they'll fall to 1-3 in the series, a deficit only six teams have overcome in World Series history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Blue Jays Manager Says Only One Thing ‘Sucks’ About Rebounding From Game 3 Loss.
