I’ll start this 2025 World Series preview with a quick admission. I am a Seattle Mariners fan, and was mentally prepared to do a deep dive on the Mariners’ rich history of Asian players (most notably with Hall of Famer Ichiro, and most recently with current ace and hunk Bryan Woo), their long-standing relationship with Nintendo, etc. This article was fully written in my head as Mariners squandered a game seven lead in the American League Championship Series, and with it, their chance to reach their first World Series in franchise history (screams in anguish). Anyway, congratulations to the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays and their opponents, the defending World Series champs and National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
No disrespect to the Blue Jays, but this series is the Dodgers’ to lose (at the time of writing this, the Dodgers are leading the series, 2-1, following Monday’s 18-inning game that finally ended with them beating the Blue Jays, 6-5). Their payroll is about double that of the Blue Jays’, and they have the talent and results to match. Some of their brightest stars are Asian or of Asian descent, particularly in their pitching rotation. The Dodgers have overwhelmed teams with their starting pitching rotation, including Japanese aces Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani warrants an article of his own, as perhaps the most dominant baseball player in history.
The best baseball players are typically either dominant pitchers or powerful hitters; they’re never both—except for Ohtani. His performance in game four of the National League Championship Series, in which he threw 10 strikeouts and hit three home runs, is one of the greatest performances in sports history. The Dodgers also feature the Japanese reliever Roki Sasaki in the bullpen, as well as Korean American Tommy Edman at second base, and Japanese American Dave Roberts leading the charge at manager. The Dodgers are continuing to build a legacy of Asian representation and excellence, with huge impacts to the morale and economy of the community.
It must be bittersweet for Blue Jays fans to see the Dodgers in the World Series, after they had come so close to signing Ohtani before he ultimately joined the Dodgers in 2023. Fans don’t sound too conflicted though; they’ll be rooting for their hometown Blue Jays, and they’ve certainly been given plenty to root for. The Blue Jays come with their own star power, particularly with slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who enters the Series with a scorching .442 playoff average and six postseason home runs. However, much of their success comes from their depth.
Whereas the Mariners relied on their best hitters to supply nearly all their runs, the Blue Jays got contributions up and down their lineup, including from utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who grew up in Hawaii and has Japanese and Samoan heritage. Kiner-Falefa is passionate about supporting AANHPI youth in pursuing their baseball dreams. “There’s not many opportunities on the island. So, just to be able to give back and open some doors means a lot to me,” he told Sportsnet.
The Blue Jays also may welcome back star shortstop Bo Bichette from injury; Bichette, who got the second-most hits in the league this season, is of Chinese and Brazilian descent through his mother.
The Dodgers come in as your classic frontrunner, the defending champion from the marquee town with the money and the talent. But the Blue Jays are talented, tough, and have a legacy of their own with two World Series wins. It’s shaping up to be a fun series, with players from the Asian and Pacific Islands diaspora sure to play crucial roles in deciding who will hoist this year’s trophy.
