On paper, the 2025 World Series should be dominated by offense. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays both ranked among MLB’s top four in runs per game during the regular season.
Their pitching, on the other hand, was right about league average.
But things can change as the playoffs roll around. The Dodgers’ starters have been spectacular as they’ve rolled into the World Series by winning nine of their 10 playoff games while putting up an overall 2.45 ERA. And the Jays have gotten strong performances from their top pitchers, including a rookie who has thrown more postseason innings for Toronto than he did during the regular season.
As we get ready for Game 1 on Friday, here is our ranking of the best pitchers in the 2025 World Series.
World Series pitcher rankings
Before we begin our countdown, let’s just take a moment to acknowledge two future first-ballot Hall of Famers who are unlikely to play a major roles in this World Series. But the contributions of the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and the Blue Jays’ Max Scherzer over the course of their careers have been immense. Both three-time Cy Young award winners, they epitomize excellence on the mound. One will deservedly win another World Series ring to potentially cap off a stellar career.
12. Alex Vesia, Dodgers
- Regular season: 4-2, 3.02 ERA, 5 saves, 1.1 WAR
- Playoffs: 2-0, 3.86 ERA in 7 appearances
Vesia is the Dodgers’ top left-handed reliever and should see considerable action in the series, matching up against Nathan Lukes, Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger and ALCS hero Andres Gimenez. He held left-handed batters to a .159/.208/.290 slash line during the regular season, but was also effective (.193/.304/.378) against righties.
11. Louis Varland, Blue Jays
- Regular season: 4-3, 2.97 ERA, 1.7 WAR
- Playoffs: 0-1, 3.27 ERA in 10 appearances (1 start)
Acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline, Varland has been the Jays’ workhorse reliever in the playoffs – appearing in 10 of their 11 postseason games. He started to show a few cracks during the ALCS, but three off days before the start of the World Series should help. He’s struck out 13 batters with only one walk in 11 postseason innings.
10. Roki Sasaki, Dodgers
- Regular season: 1-1, 4.46 ERA, 0.3 WAR
- Playoffs: 0-0, 1.13 ERA, 3 saves in 7 appearances
One of the most prized international free agents in years, Sasaki flopped spectacularly as a starter and was demoted to the minors in May – only to return with redesigned mechanics in late September as a reliever. The transformation has been nothing short of miraculous. He’s allowed just three hits in eight innings this postseason (.115 opp. average) in converting all three save chances.
9. Jeff Hoffman, Blue Jays
- Regular season: 9-7, 4.37 ERA, 0.5 WAR
- Playoffs: 0-0, 1.23 ERA, 2 saves in 6 appearances
The Jays closer has rebounded in October from his up-and-(mostly) down regular season. Home runs can be an issue for Hoffman, who allowed 15 of them in 68 innings (2.0 HR/9). That could make for some dramatic moments facing the potent Dodgers offense in the late innings.
8. Emmet Sheehan, Dodgers
- Regular season: 6-3, 2.82 ERA, 1.0 WAR
- Playoffs: 0-0, 10.80 ERA in 3 appearances
Sheehan provided some much-needed stability to the Dodgers the rotation during the season, whether that was as a starter or a multiple-inning reliever. But once the team’s star pitchers began to get healthy, Sheehan transitioned into an important relief role – one he’s continued in the playoffs. While his stats in just 3 ⅓ October innings aren’t great, he’ll likely be the first Dodger out of the bullpen in high-leverage situations.
7. Shane Bieber, Blue Jays
- Regular season: 4-2, 3.57 ERA, 0.7 WAR
- Playoffs: 1-0, 4.38 ERA in 3 starts
As he recovered from Tommy John surgery that cost him most of the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the Blue Jays gambled on Bieber being healthy for the stretch run when they acquired him from the Cleveland Guardians in July. Making his season debut on Aug. 22, the 2020 AL Cy Young winner seemed to get the zip on his pitches back and, with his elite control, has been a solid No. 3 starter in the playoffs.
6. Trey Yesavage, Blue Jays
- Regular season: 1-0, 3.21 ERA, 0.3 WAR
- Playoffs: 2-1, 4.20 ERA in 3 starts
The Jays’ top pitching prospect began the season in Low-A ball, but kept dominating hitters as he climbed the organizational ranks. By mid-September he was in Toronto’s starting rotation and striking out 10.3 batters per nine innings. In his first postseason appareance, the 22 year old struck out 11 Yankees over 5 ⅓ scoreless frames in Game 2 of the division series. Then, he helped the Jays avoid elimination in Game 6 of the ALCS with a gutty 5 ⅔ innings against the Mariners.
5. Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers
- Regular season: 4-3, 3.19 ERA, 1.9 WAR
- Playoffs: 0-0, 0.68 ERA in 3 appearances (2 starts)
The oft-injured Glasnow was sidelined for more than two months due to shoulder inflammation, but returned to the Dodgers rotation just before the All-Star break. During his final 13 starts, he looked like his dominant self, with a 2.86 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 72 ⅓ innings. He appeared once in relief in the NLDS opener against the Philadelphia Phillies before tossing six scoreless frames in the Game 4 clincher. He allowed one run in 5 ⅔ innings in the NLCS and is in line to start World Series Game 3 at home against the Jays.
4. Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays
- Regular season: 10-11, 3.59 ERA, 3.8 WAR
- Playoffs: 2-1, 2.00 ERA in 4 appearances (3 starts)
Toronto’s unquestioned ace, Gausman pitched a career-high 193 innings with a 3.59 ERA during the regular season but somehow ended up with a losing record. He was the winning pitcher in Game 1 of the division series vs. the Yankees and the losing pitcher of the ALCS opener against the Mariners. He also started Game 5 in Seattle (getting a no-decision) and ended up being the winning pitcher in the decisive Game 7 with a scoreless inning of relief. Gausman’s reverse splits (.586 OPS vs. left-handed batters, .664 vs. right-handers) could be an important weapon for the Jays against the dangerous lefty bats of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy.
3. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
- Regular season: 1-1, 2.87 ERA, 1.1 WAR (pitching only)
- Playoffs: 2-0, 2.25 ERA in 2 starts
Ohtani didn’t pitch at all during his first season with the Dodgers in 2024, as he was coming off elbow surgery in September 2023. Ramping things up extremely slowly, he made his debut on the mound this season on June 16, and only in the last of his 14 starts did he throw more than five innings. However, he’s gone six innings in both of his playoff starts – winning the NLDS opener against the Phillies and shutting out the Brewers on two hits while striking out 10 (and, oh yeah, also hitting three home runs) in an epic NLCS Game 4 performance. Look for him to take the hill for Game 4 at Dodger Stadium.
2. Blake Snell, Dodgers
- Regular season: 5-4, 2.35 ERA, 1.3 WAR
- Playoffs: 3-0, 0.86 ERA in 3 starts
The two-time Cy Young award winner missed four months and was limited to just 11 starts in the regular season because of shoulder inflammation. Yet he continued his history of late-season dominance, allowing a total of one earned run over 19 innings (0.47 ERA) and striking out 28 in his last three September starts. He’s kept the momentum going in the playoffs, looking almost unhittable in his three outings – especially the eight innings of scoreless, one-hit ball in the NLCS opener in Milwaukee. He’ll start the 2025 World Series opener Friday.
1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
- Regular season: 12-8, 2.49 ERA, 5.0 WAR
- Playoffs: 2-1, 1.83 ERA in 3 starts
The toughest call of all on this list is Snell vs. Yamamoto for the top spot. We’ll go with the guy who’s been the most durable and the most consistent over the course of the entire season. Yamamoto allowed the fewest hits per nine innings (5.86) and the lowest opponents’ batting average (.183) of any qualified starting pitcher in the majors during the regular season. He came within one out of a no-hitter in September and, in Game 2 of the NLCS, tossed the first postseason complete game in eight years when he baffled the Brewers on just three hits. He’ll be in line to face the Jays in Game 2 and Game 6, if necessary.