TORONTO, CANADA — As the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays prepare to enter Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, all eyes in the baseball world are on two names: Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kevin Gausman.
One is a symbol of Japanese baseball’s discipline and sophistication. The other, an MLB veteran, has overcome countless challenges. And now, they are turning this series into a pinnacle battle between two opposing pitching philosophies.
Just a few days ago, Yamamoto shocked the world with a historic performance in Game 2: throwing a complete game allowing just one run, eight strikeouts, and no walks – helping the Dodgers win 5-1 and tie the series.
According to AP News, he is the first pitcher since 2015 to throw a complete game in the World Series – a feat that is almost extinct in modern baseball.
From the Orix Buffaloes (NPB) to Hollywood, Yamamoto’s journey has proven he is not just “a $325 million contract” – but the perfect spirit of Japanese precision, confidence and composure.
“Every pitch Yamamoto throws is a masterpiece,” – commented the Los Angeles Times. “He doesn’t intimidate opponents with power, but with perfection.”
Meanwhile, Kevin Gausman – the heart of the Blue Jays – has no intention of letting someone else write the story of the World Series.
According to Sportsnet Canada, he “was ready to respond” after the Game 2 defeat, where he “retired 17 consecutive hitters” before the Dodgers exploded in the 7th inning.
“I didn’t do my job,” – Gausman said bluntly. “But Game 3 is our chance to regain the initiative.”
Gausman – 13 seasons of experience, 3.59 ERA – is still the pitcher that any team is afraid to face. His Splitter – the famous pitch that most hitters can only guess but not read – is still considered Toronto’s “lethal weapon” in their effort to regain control of the Series.
Technically, Yamamoto is the “peak of control” pitcher:
96 mph fastball but stable, accurate.
Variable splitter and curveball – rarely readable.
And especially: the ability to maintain performance until the end of the game – something MLB is gradually forgetting.
On the contrary, Gausman represents the “classic American style”:
Strong splitter, sharp slider and the ability to adjust the game’s tempo.
He doesn’t need perfection – he needs momentum and timing to suffocate opponents when they are complacent.
That contrast turned Game 3 into a tense symphony – where each pitch not only decided the score, but also a “counterattack” between two baseball cultures: the discipline of the East and the freedom of the West.
According to Reuters, the Dodgers were in a “high” mood after winning Game 2, while the Blue Jays urgently needed a counterattack to avoid falling behind.
The social media polls clearly reflected that: more than 60% of fans believed Yamamoto would continue to prevail, but the Toronto community was no less passionate.
One Blue Jays fan wrote:
“He may be a Samurai, but we have a long-haired warrior – and he’s not finished yet.”
If Yamamoto pulls off another miracle, the Dodgers could be on the verge of their first championship since 2020.
But if Gausman bounces back, the Blue Jays will have renewed faith in the “reverse” scenario—and turn this series into one of the most tense World Series of the decade.
They’re not just fighting for their teams—they’re fighting for the generation of pitchers they represent:
Yamamoto—classy, consistent, almost robotic perfection.
Gausman—instinctive, gritty, ready to burn.
As the lights come on at Rogers Centre, MLB holds its breath:
Will Yamamoto’s perfection continue to overpower Gausman’s steely heart?
Or will American instincts stop the wave from the East?
Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: Game 3 will go down in history—as the battle where the two greatest baseball nations on the planet met on the same pitching mound.
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