For Los Angeles Dodgers fans, Game 3 of the 2025 World Series took much longer than expected. A home run in the seventh inning by designated hitter Shohei Ohtani tied the game 5-5 — but the game was far from over. The historic match against the Toronto Blue Jays has now tied for the record of most innings in a World Series game with another Dodgers matchup in 2018.
The game turned out to be a six-hour and 39-minute affair, spanning 18 innings. According to Major League Baseball, the record for the most innings was previously held by Game 3 of the 2018 World Series between the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox, which also reached 18 innings.
The drawn-out event meant waves of emotion for USC students, as the game inched on for 10 innings without any scoring.
“It was nerve-wracking, but it was also like, I could feel the fatigue from the players,” said Joseph Hamzoian, a senior studying business administration who tuned in during the 14th inning. “So it made it more exciting to watch. I was just sitting there watching it the whole time. I couldn’t leave.”
At the bottom of the 12th inning, after going through seven relievers, the Dodgers had almost completely swept through their entire bullpen. The team had to turn to veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who will be retiring at the end of this season after his 18-year career in the MLB with the Dodgers. Kershaw has had a fair share of struggling in matches throughout the postseason, allowing for two more runs than his regular season average.
“I honestly wanted the game to be over,” said Gary Cooper, a freshman majoring in political science and a longtime Dodger fan. “I was nervous at first because Kershaw was pitching and then we were running out of pitchers, but we managed to seal the deal, and that made me happy.”
Despite the scoreless innings from both teams, the Dodgers were able to seal the win as first baseman Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th.
As the team gradually gets closer to a second consecutive World Series win, students believe the franchise and its performance impact representation of the Los Angeles community.
“It was just really cool to see that this franchise has grown into something that’s just so reflective of our city. It’s diverse,” said Daniel Mariscal, a first-year graduate student in the marketing program. “We have players from all over the world, from Japan, from Cuba. I just love to see that [they] have like, that multicultural representation that just shows the best of our city.”
The job is not done yet for the Dodgers. In just a couple of hours, the Boys in Blue will return again to Dodger Stadium in an attempt to seal another victory and take a 3-1 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Last year, the Dodgers won the World Series 4-1 against the New York Yankees. The 2024 victory marked the Dodgers eighth title overall and their first since 2020. This year, fans are hoping the team can continue its winning streak.
“I think something special and once in a lifetime is happening here. I mean, two years in a row is pretty unheard of,” Mariscal said.
The Dodgers will take on the Blue Jays again tonight at 5 p.m. for Game 4 at Dodger Stadium.