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The Los Angeles Dodgers have retained the World Series after beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in an epic Game 7 on Saturday night.
Will Smith's stunning home run in the bottom of the 11th inning, another remarkable night of pitching by World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Miguel Rojas' game-saving home run earlier in the night secured the victory for Dave Roberts' team.
For the second time in this epic series, the Dodgers and Blue Jays could not be separated in regulation and went to extra innings with the score locked at 4-4.
Smith then silenced 39,000 Blue Jays fans inside Rogers Center when he stepped up to the plate and smashed a home run that sent his Dodgers teammates wild.
'You dream of those moments, you know, extra innings, put your team ahead - I´ll remember that forever,' Smith said.
It is the Dodgers' third World Series in the past five years and they have become the first repeat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, and the first from the National League since the 1975 and '76 Cincinnati Reds.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have retained the World Series after beating the Toronto Blue Jays
Shohei Ohtani celebrates his second World Series in two seasons with the Dodgers
Dodgers players swarm pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto after he was crowned World Series MVP
Emotions were high, with benches and bullpens clearing when Giménez was hit on the right hand by a 96.4 mph fastball from Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski in the fourth. No punches were thrown.
Smith hit the winning runs with a slider off Shane Bieber into the Blue Jays' bullpen, giving the Dodgers their first lead of the night.
Yamamoto, who threw 96 pitches in the Dodgers' win on Friday, then escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and pitched almost three innings for his third win of the series.
He gave up a double in the 11th to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was sacrificed to third.
Addison Barger walked and Alejandro Kirk grounded to shortstop Mookie Betts, who started the title-winning double play.
Bo Bichette put Toronto ahead in the third inning with a three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani, who was pitching on three days´ rest after taking the loss in Game 3 and had a quiet night.
Los Angeles cut the deficit to 3-2 on sacrifice flies from Teoscar Hernandez in the fourth and Tommy Edman in the sixth.
Andres Gimenez restored Toronto's two-run lead in the sixth off Tyler Glasnow, who relieved after getting the final three outs on three pitches to save Game 6 on Friday.
Max Muncy´s eighth-inning homer off star rookie Trey Yesavage cut the Dodgers´ deficit to one run, and then Rojas, inserted into the lineup in Game 6 to provide some energy, homered to sun the Blue Jays fans.
Miguel Rojas hit a game-saving home run earlier in the night to propel the Dodgers to victory
Will Smith's stunning home run in the bottom of the 11th inning finally put the Dodgers ahead
Dodgers fans celebrate in the street after watching their team come out on top
When Yamamoto returned, he hit Alejandro Kirk on a hand with a pitch, loading the bases and putting the Blue Jays on the brink of their first World Series title since 1993.
Daulton Varsho grounded to second, where Rojas stumbled but managed to throw home for an out as catcher Smith kept his foot on the plate.
Ernie Clement then hit out to Andy Pages, who made a jumping, backhand catch on the center-field warning track as he crashed into his teammate Kike Hernández.
Smith then hit the decisive blow in the top of the 11th, capping of a remarkable night that matched the Miami Marlins' 3-2 win over Cleveland in 1997 as the second-longest Series Game 7.
More to follow.
