When Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane step into the Octagon for their heavyweight fight at UFC 321, it’d be the wrong time to leave the room to grab a beverage.

It’d be too much even to blink, at risk of missing the outcome.

Aspinall, the 32-year-old from England, has finished off his last three opponents in 60 seconds, 69 seconds and 73 seconds — by knockout. And, with Jon Jones having relinquished the heavyweight title, Aspinall is now the division’s reigning champion.

His 15-3 is misleading because he’s suffered only one clear defeat, about a decade ago. One of the other losses occurred 15 seconds into the bout when he suffered a knee injury, and the other took place when he was disqualified for an illegal downward elbow. It’s among what makes him a significant favorite against Gane.

About the only worrisome thing as he heads into this fight? He’ll be returning from a 15-month layoff.

USA TODAY Sports has everything you need to enjoy UFC 321, including updates, highlights and analysis:

UFC 321: Time, PPV, streaming for Aspinall vs Gane

The highly fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25 and can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 25
Location: Etihad Arena (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
Prelims card start time: 10 a.m. ET
Prelims card TV: FX; Prelims stream: ESPN+, Disney+
Main card start time: 2 p.m. ET
Main card stream: ESPN+ PPV

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UFC 320: Aspinall vs Gane predictions

MMA Junkie: Alexander Volkov makes prediction that can go either way

Farah Hannoun writes on behalf of Alexander Volkov predictions: ‘It depends how the fight starts, how both of them will be prepared for this fight. I saw that Gane will be motivated a lot for this fight to get the belt. It’s 50-50, but on paper, when I fought both of them, Tom Aspinall looks better. But in the fight, it could go any way.’

ESPN: Tom Aspinall

Brett Okamoto and Ian Parker write: ‘Aspinall will defend his heavyweight belt after a 15-month layoff and will do so against the No. 1 contender in Gane. On the feet, this is a 50-50 fight with Gane being the more technical kickboxer while Aspinall is the more explosive athlete with knockout power. The difference will be Aspinall’s grappling and jiu-jitsu. Gane was submitted by Jon Jones in Round 1 in March 2023, so it wouldn’t shock me if Aspinall takes that same path. Go with Aspinall to win inside the distance, and if you are feeling greedy, take him to win by submission.’

BetMGM: Aspinall via TKO/KO

Anatoly Pimentel writes: ‘I predict a TKO/KO finish for Aspinall within two rounds because of the one-punch knockout power that he has. Additionally, he has the killer instinct to finish his opponents, which is evident in his TKO/KO rate of 100%. Once the lethal right-hand punch of Aspinall lands, it significantly compromises the opposition. He’s also very accurate with his offense and does a good job of closing the distance with caution without overextending.’

Boxing News: Aspinall

Staff writes: ‘I think Tom Aspinall blitzes straight through Ciryl Gane to be quite honest,” the Australian MMA superstar said on his YouTube channel. “Whether it’s a takedown or even with the strikes. Unless you catch him [Aspinall] coming in, he’s bulldozing you. You need to try and catch Aspinall coming in and I just can’t see that happening. “It’s going to be a win for Tom Aspinall . I think he’s a heavy favorite.”

UFC 321 odds: Aspinall vs Gane fight

Odds via BetMGM as of Thursday.

Champ Tom Aspinall (-375) vs. Ciryl Gane (+290): Heavyweight title

NEW YORK — On June 29, 2021, Chauncey Billups sat down in front of the media at the Portland Trail Blazers practice facility to detail his vision of getting the team back to competing for championships, even though Portland had made the postseason in each of the eight seasons before his arrival (making one Western Conference Finals appearance).

During the press conference, Billups, the Blazers new head coach, and Neil Olshey, the team’s president of basketball operations, were asked about the vetting process that led the five-time All Star to the position held by only 29 other men in the NBA.

That vetting process included Billups being asked about an incident in 1997, when he was a member of the Boston Celtics, the team that drafted him third overall that year after a stellar collegiate career at Colorado.

Billups and teammates Ron Mercer and Antoine Walker were sued after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman at Walker’s home. Authorities did not press charges, and Billups settled the civil suit three years later.

Billups addressed those allegations that very day, and he had no idea how prophetic those words would be years later.

“This experience has shaped my life in so many different ways. My decision-making, obviously, who I allow to be in my life, the friendships and the relationships that I have, and how I go about them. It’s impacted every decision that I make,’ he said during the Blazers press conference.

Now, the 49-year-old Billups is making headlines again after federal authorities arrested and charged him with money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy, alleging that the former NBA Finals MVP participated in and helped organize a rigged 2019 poker game where players were ripped off.

He is also identified as a co-conspirator by federal authorities – but has not been charged – in an illegal betting scheme where he allegedly provided insider information that enabled gamblers to bet against the Trail Blazers.

For now, all that Billups has accomplished on a basketball court is secure, including his 2024 induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. There is no precedent for the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, to remove a member after they have been enshrined.

His No. 1 jersey has also been retired by the Detroit Pistons, a team he played for during two separate stints over eight seasons and helped lead to the 2004 NBA championship over the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers, where he was named the series’ Most Valuable Player.

Billups was well aware of what was coming in that initial press conference in 2021, and the next time he speaks publicly – or, in his case, a resolution is reached – he will have to face the music again, with his once-respected legacy hanging by a thread.

“We knew we would have to address (the allegations), but this is my dream job,” Billups had said about beating out 20 other candidates to become the Trail Blazers coach.

Now, that dream job is in serious jeopardy, as he has already been placed on leave by the NBA and awaits a Nov. 24 court date in Brooklyn to answer the charges from the Eastern District of New York.

The bombshell sports story of the year is the backdrop of Friday night’s contest at Madison Square Garden, between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, two of the seven teams Billups suited up for during his 17-year career.

The Oct. 24 game also brought out NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who addressed the scandal that has also ensnared Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones, reintroduced the mafia to the news, and consumed the league for the past two days.

‘My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed,’ Silver said in an interview during Amazon Prime’s broadcast of the game. ‘There’s nothing more important to the league and the fans than the integrity of the competition. So, I had a pit in my stomach, it was very upsetting.’

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association since 2019, blasted the league, saying that the NBA has not prepared or protected players to help them navigate the murky waters since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the sports betting law in 2018.

“I don’t think once, from my conversations with the union, that the NBA has been like, ‘How can we protect players more with the environment?” Brown said. ‘There’s been little to no conversation around that. It’s all about, a lot of times, ‘How can we increase business and increase revenue?’ I don’t think we’re having enough conversations about what is the aftermath or the consequences that some of that stuff has.’

When asked, the two head coaches of Friday’s game, the Knicks’ Mike Brown and Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics, did not provide much context in their answers.  

‘All that stuff’s above my head. I don’t feel like I’m privy or intelligent enough to talk about [it] because it’s a lot of this and that I don’t know about. I know it’s a league matter and the league has programs for the guys.’ Brown said.

Mazzulla says betting puts pressure on the league’s players, but said he doesn’t hear a lot of heckling from fans about betting. He added that the Celtics and the NBA do an adequate job of informing league personnel about the rules regarding gambling.  

“There’s two sides to every coin,” Mazzulla said. “There is always a benefit and a consequence. It’s obviously generated a lot of attention, income and entertainment. With something good always comes with decisions and choices. That’s just a part of life.”

Billups’ life has changed once again, and the NBA and its players have been put on notice about protecting the integrity of the league.

The question remains: is anyone going to listen, despite the consequences, which would include loss of income, reputational harm, and making fans, already skeptical, not trust what they are watching?

“I’m not sure what the answer is, but definitely something that people have to spend more time having conversations about,” Brown said. ‘It creates a negative discourse around the game and players when people have money involved. It’s leading to situations that we can avoid if more conversations were had right now.’

TORONTO – When it began, Blake Snell was still in control, not just of the game but an entire postseason. Addison Barger was on the bench, a virtual unknown beyond the Canadian border and his hometown of Tampa.

The Los Angeles Dodgers still had the whiff of indomitable defending champions, locked in a tie but possessing three MVPs who could change that at any time.

And then the sixth inning of Game 1 of this World Series began. And the baseball world found out exactly what the Toronto Blue Jays are all about.

A dozen batters came to the plate. Nine crossed it. Everyone put the ball in play or got on base. Three reserves were summoned off the bench and did exactly what was needed. And a rookie, a guy who began the season in the minor leagues but has produced two spine-tingling swings this October, made grand slam history.

The highlight reels will forever memorialize Barger’s 413-foot grand slam, the first pinch-hit slam in World Series history that pushed the Blue Jays’ lead to seven runs in an eventual 11-4 slaughter of the Dodgers that got the attention of anyone thinking this might be an L.A. walkover.

Can one half-inning define a season?

An organizational ethos? Capture the overwhelming belief among the dozens of players in that clubhouse and the relatively anonymous manager moving them on and off the field, like a game of Risk but with bats and balls?

It certainly can when virtually every Blue Jay was pulled from the shadows and shoved into the white-hot spotlight of Rogers Centre, 44,353 locals on tilt and a global TV audience expected to pull in massive viewership from Canada to Japan to the USA.

See, these Blue Jays are powerful in the aggregate, a crusher’s collective, a modern paradox in that they have light-tower powerful sluggers but also monk-like discipline when it comes to controlling the strike zone.

And in Game 1, they overwhelmed the defending champions.

“It’s the definition of our team,” says pitcher Chris Bassitt, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Game 1. “We have one through nine that are not fun to face. It’s been like that for a long, long time.

“Snell is a Cy Young pitcher. He has elite stuff. I’m proud of the guys who came off the bench to wear him down.”

Truth be told, that was a collective effort from the 12 Blue Jays who grabbed a bat at some point during Game 1.

They loaded the bases in the first inning and did not score – but coaxed 29 pitches out of Snell, who looked unbothered and unbeatable in posting a 0.86 ERA through three starts to push the Dodgers to the pennant.

“I think that’s what our identity is,” says All-Star infielder Bo Bichette, who returned from a knee sprain to play his first game since Sept. 6, and first at second base since a minor league appearance in 2019.

“Whether we’re putting up runs or not, we’re going to make them work. He’s an unbelievable pitcher and a tough task, for sure. But that was our goal going in.”

And then, the dam withered, and finally broke.

The first crack came when Daulton Varsho tied the score with a first-pitch, two-run rocket off Snell in the bottom of the fourth, the first left-handed hitter to take Snell deep since 2024.

Two innings later, Bichette drew a leadoff walk. And like a basketball coach digging deep into his rotation, Schneider went liberally to his bench.

And history followed.

Bichette, still gimpy on his left knee, exited for pinch runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who’d take over at second base. Alejandro Kirk, their 5-foot-8, 245-pound anchor behind the plate, followed with a rocket just below the 328 mark on the right-field wall.

Varsho was next. Snell locked in, jumping ahead in the count until Varsho sneered at a 2-2 slider in the dirt, then fouled off a slider and a curveball before Snell finally cracked, drilling Varsho in the shoulder.

It was his 100th pitch, and it was the second of three Blue Jays plate appearances in which they forced the Dodgers to throw nine pitches – all resulting in Blue Jays reaching base.

Snell was done, failing to record an out in the sixth. Mission accomplished.

“He threw (29) pitches in the first. It’s hard when you not punching guys out, it wears you down” says Bassitt. “No matter how good you are, it wears you down.

“The fact we don’t strike out a lot – it’s really hard to face our lineup.”

The bases were loaded. The party was on.

Dodgers reliever Emmet Sheehan yielded the go-ahead hit to Ernie Clement, his 20th knock this postseason against just two strikeouts. Schneider, ever the mad scientist, tossed his regular No. 2 hitter, Lukes, up to pinch-hit.

Lukes clearly wanted to fit in with his mates: He, too, produced a nine-pitch plate appearance, and a bases-loaded walk.  Now 4-2.

No. 9 hitter Andrés Giménez stroked an RBI single. Leadoff man George Springer offered the Dodgers a momentary reprieve, grounding into a force out at home.

Meanwhile, Barger loomed on the bench like a glow stick at dusk. Veteran Jays watchers of at least a week knew he was lurking, that Schneider would throw him at just the right time.

Schneider said postgame he wanted to force a lefty into the game. Barger was ready.

In the Blue Jays bullpen, so was Eric Lauer.

“He said, ‘he’s going to hit a home run here,’” says Bassitt. “We were just waiting for him to do it. And damn, he did it.”

Barger delivered, ripping a 413-foot drive into a bobbing throng of humanity in the right center-field seats. Oh, it was nearly an out-of-body experience for the fellows in the white jerseys, too.

“That was something else. That was something I’d never felt before my entire career,” says Bichette. “I felt like I left my body and was on the field with him.”

It was 9-2. All but one Blue Jays position player had touched the field, and eight tallied a run scored. Schneider had concocted a poisonous brew for the Dodgers.

“Every button he pressed tonight hit,” says Kiner-Falefa. “There’s so many different ways we’re able to put things together, but John Schneider does such a good job plugging us in at the right opportunity.

“I just feel like he does such a great job using and deploying everybody. You come to the field knowing you might not start. But you’re gonna play, maybe at a crucial moment.

“Our bench is very special.”

Did we mention that it was still not over?

Kiner-Falefa began the inning as a pinch runner. About a half hour later, he was the 10th batter to come to the plate, a two-fer in one inning he’d never experienced.

Two batters later, Kirk recorded his second hit of the inning – a towering two-run blast to left field. Blue Jays 11, Dodgers 2, and a star turn for Kirk – who had three hits and reached base four times – his teammates savored.

“Kirk’s at-bats, the whole year, are insane,” says outfielder Myles Straw, who started against Snell in an effort to load right-handers against the southpaw. “He’s one of my top three favorite players of all time. Just his swag, his demeanor, he’s so chill. It’s like he’s playing in a spring training game out there. It’s insane.

“He’s unbelievable. The contact skills, the ability to hit the ball hard – whenever you got a guy at third, less than one out, 98% of the time I’d say the run will score.”

Kirk had 127 hits and 15 home runs this season – and struck out 15 times. Only the punchless Kansas City Royals struck out less than the Blue Jays, a potent combo of power and precision.

By night’s end, the spotlight was stolen. And perhaps a trove of casual viewers were put on to what these Blue Jays are all about.

“I think they should know already,” says Kirk through an interpreter. “The type of team that we are. The way we play.

“And that’s the reason why we’re here.”

We’re past the halfway mark of the 2025 college football season and the main contenders for the honor of top quarterback are well-established at this point.

Indiana’s undefeated run to a top-five national ranking comes in no small part thanks to quarterback Fernando Mendoza. After the team’s statement win against Oregon on the road, Mendoza continues to impress evaluators as the season continues.

Oregon’s own Dante Moore remains a contender for the top spot as well. Thanks to a better showing in Week 8, Moore and the Ducks could be back on track for a postseason run.

But the biggest development is from a quarterback in Tuscaloosa. Alabama’s Ty Simpson continues to impress as he makes strides in his first season as the Crimson Tide’s starter.

He’s now moved up in our 2026 NFL Draft quarterback prospect rankings to potentially challenge Mendoza later this season. Here’s how the rankings look entering Week 9 and why Simpson’s moved up:

2026 NFL Draft QB prospect rankings

1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (last week: 1)

Week 8 vs. Michigan State: 24-for-28 (85.7%) passing, 332 yards, four touchdowns; six carries, 17 yards

Michigan State held tough with Indiana for much of the first half but the Hoosiers eventually pulled away thanks in no small part to Mendoza. The top-ranked quarterback in the class was methodical in his precise ball placement all game.

Indiana took less than two minutes to score to open the second half thanks to a beautiful 48-yard touchdown pass from Mendoza to Omar Cooper Jr.

He set a season-high in passing yards with 332 as Michigan State didn’t pressure him nearly as often as Oregon a week prior. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF) data, Mendoza faced four pressures against the Spartans compared to 14 against the Ducks.

Mendoza made the plays you want to see from a No. 1 quarterback in the class, including multiple plays with his feet to gain extra yards. This wasn’t a statement game but a performance that keeps him at the top spot.

Mendoza and Indiana continue Big Ten play at home against upstart UCLA this week.

2. Ty Simpson, Alabama (last week: 3)

Week 8 vs. Tennessee: 19-for-29 (65.5%) passing, 253 yards, two touchdowns; four carries, 15 yards

Simpson keeps playing his way into consideration for one of the top spots on this list. His game against Tennessee included so many things that make evaluators excited about what he could be at the NFL level.

Alabama’s first two drives of the first half started inside their own 10-yard line. Simpson’s first completion came on third and 13 from his own 6-yard line. Tight end Josh Cuevas is open at the top of his drop and Simpson backpedals to elude a rusher, resets and fires a pass to him for the first down.

That drive ended in a touchdown pass from Simpson to Isaiah Horton. The next drive started in similar circumstances and Simpson delivered by avoiding a chipped but free runner and placing the ball perfectly to Ryan Williams.

Those two plays are some of the best by any quarterback in the class and he did them in the same half. He’s taking on more pre-snap responsibilities than other quarterbacks in the class as well.

The biggest knock on Simpson is his game experience. He waited behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe before finally earning the starting job at the start of the season. But he’s more than familiar with playing the game at a high level; Simpson’s father, Jason, has been head coach at UT-Martin’s FCS football program for 20 years.

He gets bumped above Moore for his impressive play. He’ll have a good test against a talented South Carolina defense this week.

3. Dante Moore, Oregon (last week: 2)

Week 8 at Rutgers: 15-for-20 (75.0%) passing, 288 yards, four touchdowns, one interception; three carries, 49 yards

After his worst outing of the season against Indiana, Moore needed a bounce-back performance on the road against Rutgers. Four touchdowns on 20 attempts is a good way to do just that.

Moore pushed the ball more than any other game this year. His average depth of target (ADOT) was a season-high 13.2 yards, per PFF data. This wasn’t a result of long-developing routes that he waited for, though. His average time to throw was 2.64 seconds – his third-lowest average of the season.

His first touchdown pass of the game was on a throw up the seam to top tight end prospect Kenyon Sadiq. It was placed well to ensure only Sadiq could catch it and he crossed the goal line for the score.

Moore’s deep ball abilities were on full display in this contest. Deep shots late in the first half were perfectly layered to offer yards-after-catch to his receivers, including this shot to tight end Jamari Johnson.

Moore’s lone interception came on his second-to-last pass of the game: a quick slant in which Ducks wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. was pressed out of the way by Rutgers defensive back Cam Miller. That’s far from pure quarterback error. Four plays earlier, Moore showed off his mobility with a 35-yard scramble to get the Ducks across midfield.

Moore played better against lesser Big Ten competition in Week 8. He’ll need to continue building on that against Wisconsin at home this week.

4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (last week: 4)

Week 8 vs. Oklahoma: 17-for-26 (65.4%) passing, 124 yards, one touchdown; eight carries, 44 yards

Sellers had one of his better days as a passer against the Sooners in Week 8. Oklahoma’s defense heated him up with 17 pressures and six sacks, per PFF data. But he countered that well and got the ball out in 3.02 seconds on average – his second-quickest mark of the season – and did not turn the ball over.

He got South Carolina in the end zone for the first time in the game by hanging in the pocket against pressure on fourth and goal to find wideout Nyck Harbor for the touchdown.

That play encapsulates a lot of what Sellers was dealing with all game. Oklahoma’s pressure repeatedly forced scrambles and, thanks to his outlier athleticism, Sellers kept the South Carolina offense afloat.

South Carolina stayed in shotgun in the deep red zone often, likely as a result of Oklahoma’s pressure looks. Against a less pressure-happy team we could see more of how Sellers has developed as a passer.

He may not get much of a break this week against Alabama. Still, he remains the quarterback with the most tools and highest ceiling in this class.

5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (last week: 5)

Week 8 at Vanderbilt: 19-for-28 (67.9%) passing, 225 yards, two touchdowns

LSU lost for the second time this season on the road against Vanderbilt and Nussmeier had a solid if unspectacular game.

The offense went with the quick game for the first quarter to get Nussmeier into a rhythm early on versus an aggressive Commodores defense. He bought time and evaded pressure on his first touchdown of the game to Trey’Dez Green.

Nussmeier finished the day with a 5.9-yard ADOT which is his second-lowest mark of the season, per PFF data. He managed to stay turnover-free for the first time in a month despite getting pressured 13 times and sacked twice.

Facing a second-half deficit, Nussmeier and the offense went with more deep shots that weren’t as successful as hoped. He escaped without any turnovers but struggled to connect and keep the Tigers alive.

He may be forced into a similar game plan in Week 9 against a stout Texas A&M front.

6. John Mateer, Oklahoma (last week: 6)

Week 8 at South Carolina: 19-for-27 (70.4%) passing, 155 yards, one touchdown; eight carries, 24 yards

Mateer’s poor performance against Texas in Week 7 was the lowlight of his season so far. Against South Carolina, he was better against a solid defense thanks to a solid game plan.

Mateer set season-lows in ADOT (4.1 yards) and time to throw (2.1 seconds), according to PFF data. Oklahoma relied on quick passing to neutralize the Gamecocks’ pass rush and he only faced four pressures all game. By comparison, Nussmeier had a 5.9-yard ADOT and 2.58-second time to throw against South Carolina in Week 7 and was pressured 13 times.

That game plan didn’t afford many wow throws for the Sooners’ passer but he still had some highlights. His lone touchdown of the game came on a perfect shot to wideout Isaiah Sategna III down the far sideline.

He continued to showcase his functional scrambling by picking up a pair of first downs with his legs, including a third and 4 conversion early on in the second half.

Oklahoma’s back at home to face Ole Miss in Week 8. That should be a chance for Mateer to press more as a passer.

7. Jayden Maiava, USC (last week: 8)

Week 8 at Notre Dame: 22-for-42 (52.4%) passing, 328 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions

Maiava and USC struggled on the road against a talented Notre Dame defense featuring future NFL players at multiple positions. USC started with quick passes to get Maiava a rhythm and were rewarded with an impressive throw for a touchdown from Maiava to tight end Lake McRee.

Maiava’s ball placement put the ball exactly where only McRee could get it and in bounds. He showed similarly impressive touch on a 59-yard touchdown throw to Ja’Kobi Lane in the third quarter.

Turnovers doomed the Trojans’ hopes at a road win over the Irish, including Maiava’s first interception on an underthrown ball in the face of pressure. His second pick came on a desperation heave with just more than a minute remaining.

Considering what else he put on film from this game, we aren’t going to penalize him too heavily for those mistakes. He moves up a spot ahead of the Trojans’ bye.

8. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (last week: 7)

Week 8 vs Texas Tech: 25-for-32 (78.1%) passing, 260 yards, two touchdowns, one interception; eight carries, 31 yards, one fumble

Leavitt rounds out the top eight prospects this week after a solid performance in Arizona State’s upset win over Texas Tech. The Red Raiders’ pass rush is one of the best in country powered by potential Round 1 NFL Draft pick David Bailey.

Texas Tech pressured Leavitt 15 times, per PFF data, the most he’s faced in a game this season. They got to him for four sacks as well but he used his legs to extend plays, including a 49-yard pass to Jaren Hamilton in the first quarter to set up the Sun Devils’ first points of the game.

He hit Hamilton again for another highlight throw to bring the Sun Devils in field goal range late in the first half. Leavitt’s escapability was on full display in the second half as well to convert in the red zone.

He may not be as refined a passer as others ahead of him on this list but he continues to make key plays in key moments for the Sun Devils against top competition. Arizona State is home again this week against Houston.

Next two up: Carson Beck, Miami; Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati

TORONTO — It was a 12-batter onslaught, a beatdown that started with a leadoff walk, accelerated with a grand slam that made World Series history and ended with a pile-on two-run homer from the player that perhaps best exemplifies just how suffocating these Toronto Blue Jays are.

And now the Los Angeles Dodgers will be playing uphill in the World Series for the first time in their quest to produce back-to-back championships.

The locals waited 32 years for a Fall Classic contest, and while it’s perhaps short-sighted to say the wait was worth it, for a few frenzied minutes Friday night, a case could be made.

Alejandro Kirk, the Blue Jays’ beloved 5-foot-8 catcher, recorded the first hit of the inning – a single to put two runners on against Dodgers starter Blake Snell.

And by the time he provided the capper – a two-run home run off reliever Anthony Banda – it was already garbage time.

In between, the Blue Jays dipped into their bench three times – a pinch-runner for Bo Bichette, who drew a leadoff walk playing in his first game since Sept. 6 after recovering from a knee injury, pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes coming off the bench and drawing a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-2 and, three batters later, Barger.

He’d started this season in the minor leagues, was recalled April 15 to give a flagging Blue Jays club a boost, and went on to hit 21 homers.

In the postseason, he added a pivotal three-run homer in ALCS Game 6 as the Blue Jays rallied from the brink of elimination.

And then, in his first career World Series plate appearance, history.

With the bases still loaded, he pinch hit for Davis Schneider, who started because Snell was on the mound. With the Dodgers missing lefty reliever Alex Vesia due to a family emergency, the reliable Banda was the choice here.

And Barger greeted him by pouncing on a 2-1 slider, whistling it 413 feet to right center field, six rows deep into the bobbing, thrilled masses.

It was a 9-2 game, soon to be 11-2, with the final tally resulting from Shohei Ohtani’s first career World Series home run. Yet it was a game the Blue Jays had to have, cracking the facade of the Dodgers’ heretofore impenetrable pitching.

Game 2 – matching Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Toronto’s Kevin Gausman – should determine if this was a harbinger.

— Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY

Here’s how Game 1 unfolded in Toronto:

Shohei Ohtani home run pulls back a pair: Blue Jays 11, Dodgers 4

TORONTO – It was just window dressing in a Game 1 blowout, but Shohei Ohtani has another bullet point on his amazing baseball resume: First World Series home run. 

Ohtani golfed a Braydon Fisher pitch down the right field line for a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning, trimming the Blue Jays’ lead to 11-4 at Rogers Centre. 

It’s certainly a welcome sight for the Dodgers, since Ohtani struck out twice and was 0-for-3 entering that at-bat, and was just 6-for-35 this postseason. 

He went homerless in the 2024 World Series, as he injured his shoulder on a headfirst slide in Game 2 and was a high-profile statue in the final three games of that series. 

Addison Barger grand slam blows it open for Blue Jays

TORONTO – Addison Barger made World Series history, sent Rogers Centre into bedlam and probably buried the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1. 

Barger greeted lefty reliever Anthony Banda with a 413-foot shot to right center field, the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history and give the Toronto Blue Jays an 11-2 lead as they batted around in the sixth inning. 

Barger has been a postseason hero this October in Toronto but he started Game 1 on the bench with lefty ace Blake Snell starting for the Dodgers. But Snell, who entered with a 0.86 ERA this postseason, did not record an out in the sixth and then the Blue Jays feasted on Dodgers relief. 

Barger’s grand slam was followed by a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. single, shifting Banda into ‘wear it’ mode as the Dodgers look to Game 2.

And then Alejandro Kirk skied a fly to left field that edged over the wall, a two-run homer and the fourth time he reached base in Game 1. 

The Blue Jays’ nine-run sixth was the third-highest scoring inning in World Series history. 

Blue Jays go ahead in the sixth: Toronto 5, Dodgers 2

TORONTO – The defending World Series champions are finding out just how deep, versatile and dangerous the Toronto Blue Jays are. 

They outlasted Blake Snell, sending him to the bench after loading the bases with nobody out in the sixth inning. They took their first lead of Game 1 on No. 7 hitter Ernie Clement’s RBI single off reliever Emmet Sheehan and extended it to two runs on their second nine-pitch at-bat of the inning, a walk to pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes. 

And took full control with an RBI single from No. 9 hitter Andrés Giménez, whose hit off Sheehan extended their lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth. 

It’s now advantage, Blue Jays, in a significant fashion. Reliever Seranthony Dominguez retired all four batters he faced on 13 pitches and now, top set-up man Louis Varland and closer Jeff Hoffman are available to help nail down the last nine outs.

Daulton Varsho home run ties Game 1 in the fourth

TORONTO – Blake Snell is human. And the Toronto Blue Jays are right back in Game 1 of the World Series. 

It was the first home run Snell had given up to a left-handed hitter this season. 

The Blue Jays jolted Snell with a 1-2 punch before he could settle into the bottom of the fourth, as Daulton Varsho followed Alejandro Kirk’s wall-banging single with a first-pitch drive over the wall in dead center field to tie the game 2-2. 

Snell escaped further damage by getting a pair of flyouts and striking out No. 9 hitter Andrés Giménez. But the damage was done and now it’s a new ballgame entering the fifth. 

Trey Yesavage, the Blue Jays’ rookie starter, was removed after 80 pitches and four innings, replaced by lefty Mason Fluharty. But at least he cannot lose the game. 

Dodgers’ Will Smith makes it 2-0

TORONTO – After 2 ⅓ innings of World Series Game 1, the Dodgers hold a 2-0 lead. So why does it feel like 20-0? 

Well, Blue Jays rookie starter Trey Yesavage wobbled through a pair of innings, walking three batters in the second and third innings and giving up a run in each. At 71 pitches, he is not long for this game. 

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are ruing failing to score off Dodgers starter Blake Snell after loading the bases in the first inning. Snell escaped that jam and then got help from Ernie Clement, who singled in the second yet was thrown out trying to advance from first to third on George Springer’s infield single. 

Snell entered this game with a 0.86 ERA in three postseason starts. And the Blue Jays’ best shot to get him may have already passed. 

Enrique Hernandez, Dodgers strike first

TORONTO – Shohei Ohtani’s uneven postseason at the plate has continued in Game 1 of the World Series – but the Dodgers managed to push across the first run of the Fall Classic.  Ohtani grounded out to leave the bases loaded in the top of the second – one inning after his leadoff strikeout – as the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead on the Blue Jays heading to the bottom of the second. 

Once again, Dodgers playoff legend Kiké Hernández was the ringleader, poking a one-out RBI single off rookie Trey Yesavage to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Yesavage gave up three hits and a walk in the inning, and ran a full count to No. 9 hitter Andy Pages with the bases loaded. 

But Pages flailed at a slider for the second out, and Ohtani grounded to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who outsprinted Ohtani to the bag to end the inning. . 

Trey Yesavage starts, Blake Snell escapes bases-loaded jam

TORONTO — Trey Yesavage and Blake Snell crafted narratives of dominance in their respective leagues’ postseason. In the first inning of World Series Game 1, only the 22-year-old kid maintained that theme. . 

Yesavage, the 22-year-old rookie making just his seventh major league start, set down Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in order in his World Series debut.

Snell, meanwhile, got a rude awakening about these Blue Jays: They put the ball in play. 

Snell needed 29 pitches to escape a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first inning, retiring Daulton Varsho on a fly to center to end the inning. 

Yet it felt like a victory for the Blue Jays. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk drew full-count walks and Bo Bichette, in his first at-bat in seven weeks, swung away on a 3-0 pitch and nubbed a single to right field, to the delight of a roaring Rogers Centre crowd that feted their homegrown star with chants of ‘Let’s Go Bo!’ 

And there’s still eight more innings of madness ahead tonight. 

World Series lineups tonight

Dodgers lineup for Game 1

Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mookie Betts (R) SS
Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
Will Smith (R) C
Teoscar Hernández (R) RF
Max Muncy (L) 3B
Enrique Hernández (R) LF
Tommy Edman (S) 2B
Andy Pages (R) CF

Blue Jays lineup for Game 1

George Springer (R) DH
Davis Schneider (R) LF
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
Bo Bichette (R) 2B
Alejandro Kirk (R) C
Daulton Varsho (L) CF
Ernie Clement (R) 3B
Myles Straw (R) RF
Andrés Giménez (L) SS

Is Bo Bichette playing in the World Series?

Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette is on Toronto’s World Series roster and is batting cleanup, playing second base in the Game 1 lineup. Bichette, who is a free agent after the season, has not played since Sept. 6 due to a knee injury.

‘This has been, obviously, on my mind the entire run, just trying to get as healthy as I could be and as ready as I could be for this,’ Bichette said before Game 1. ‘I thought at one point it might be the ALCS, but once that wasn’t an opportunity, I turned my attention to hopefully having an opportunity to be here for this.

‘I don’t know if relief is the word, but I’m definitely super blessed and grateful to have this opportunity.’ 

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, son of Canadians, thrilled for Blue Jays

“They’ve invested in their team, into that stadium, the visiting clubhouse, they’ve put a lot into the Toronto Blue Jays,’ Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman told reporters before the World Series.

‘So to just see the city come together, and get to experience so much jubilation that they had going to the World Series for the first time in 30-plus years, you know it’s an exciting time.

“And being from Canada, it’s pretty cool.’

Kiké Hernández stats in MLB playoffs are stunning

TORONTO — It is October, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in the World Series, and Kiké Hernández is striking baseballs with authority once again, a phenomenon that defies all logic and statistical trends amassed over a significant sample size.

“These are the games I live for,” Hernández said the day before Game 1. “In life, you get put on the planet to do certain things.

“And for me, I feel like I was put on this planet to love my family, make people laugh and play October baseball.”

— Gabe Lacques

Blue Jays manager John Schneider is Toronto lifer

TORONTO — George Springer’s go-ahead, eighth-inning three-run homer vaulted the Blue Jays into their first World Series since 1993, a span in which Schneider was in their employ as a poor-hitting minor league catcher, a coach and manager buried deep in their organization until his methodical rise resulted in him taking the managerial reins in the middle of the 2022 season.

This was a guy who managed franchise cornerstones Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero many moons ago – not in Toronto, but in rookie league Dunedin, in 2017, when they were teenagers and both players and manager were four levels away from the big city.

This was the organizational grinder sticking around to finally sit in the hottest seat in the organization – and surviving in it long enough to see Game 1, 2025 World Series. — Gabe Lacques

Dodgers vs Blue Jays prediction for 2025 World Series

Bob Nightengale: Dodgers in 6
Gabe Lacques: Dodgers in 6
Jesse Yomtov: Dodgers in 5

What team has the most World Series titles?

Yankees – 27
Cardinals – 11
Athletics – 9
Red Sox – 9
Dodgers – 8
Giants – 8

World Series national anthem singer tonight

 Voices of Fire is performing the U.S. and Canadian national anthems before the opening game of the World Series.

World Series first pitch for Game 1: Cito Gaston

The ceremonial first pitch for Game 1 is being thrown by Cito Gaston, the Blue Jays’ manager for their 1992 and 1993 World Series titles.

World Series announcers

Joe Davis, play-by-play
John Smoltz, color commentary
Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci, dugout reporters

Dodgers World Series roster 2025

Pitchers (12): LHP Anthony Banda, LHP Jack Dreyer, RHP Tyler Glasnow, RHP Edgardo Henriquez, LHP Clayton Kershaw, RHP Will Klein, RHP Roki Sasaki, RHP Emmet Sheehan, LHP Blake Snell, RHP Blake Treinen, LHP Justin Wrobleski, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Position, two-way players (14): SS Mookie Betts, OF Alex Call, OF Justin Dean, INF/OF Tommy Edman, 1B Freddie Freeman, INF/OF Kiké Hernández, OF Teoscar Hernández, INF/OF Hyeseong Kim, 3B Max Muncy, DH/P Shohei Ohtani, OF Andy Pages, INF Miguel Rojas, C Ben Rortvedt, C Will Smith.

Blue Jays World Series roster

Pitchers (12): RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Shane Bieber, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, RHP Braydon Fisher, LHP Mason Fluharty, RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP Jeff Hoffman, LHP Eric Lauer, LHP Brendon Little, RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Louis Varland, RHP Trey Yesavage.

Position players (14): C Tyler Heineman, C Alejandro Kirk, INF/OF Addison Barger, INF Bo Bichette, INF Ernie Clement, INF Ty France, INF Andrés Giménez, INF Vladimir Guerrero Jr., INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa, OF Nathan Lukes, OF Davis Schneider, OF George Springer, OF Myles Straw, OF Daulton Varsho.

Blue Jays World Series appearances

Toronto won back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 (vs. Braves) and 1993 (vs. Phillies), the only times in franchise history the club has reached the Fall Classic since coming into existence in 1977.

How many times have the Dodgers won the World Series?

The Dodgers have won eight World Series titles in franchise history – one in Brooklyn and seven in Los Angeles

1955 vs. Yankees
1959 vs. White Sox
1963 vs. Yankees
1965 vs. Twins
1981 vs. Yankees
1988 vs. Athletics
2020 vs. Rays
2024 vs. Yankees

Ontario to pull tariff ad that angered Trump ‒ but will stay up for World Series

WASHINGTON ‒ The Ontario, Canada, provincial government will continue airing an ad critical of tariffs on American TV through the weekend ‒ and then pause the commercial ‒ after President Donald Trump halted United States trade negotiations with Canada over his objections to the ad.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in an Oct. 24 statement, said he’s directed his team to keep airing the commercial ‒ which features remarks from the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan ‒ so it will be seen during Games 1 and 2 of the World Series, set for Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25.

Ford said the province of Ontario will pause the ad effective Monday, Oct. 27 ‘so that trade talks can resume.’ He cited a conversation he had with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to come to the decision. — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY

Dodgers vs Blue Jays World Series odds

World Series schedule 2025

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24 in Toronto – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25 in Toronto – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27 in Los Angeles – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28 in Los Angeles – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
*Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Los Angeles – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
*Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31 in Toronto – 8 p.m. ET, FOX
*Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 1 in Toronto – 8 p.m. ET, FOX

World Series winners by year

2024: Dodgers
2023: Rangers
2022: Astros
2021: Braves
2020: Dodgers
2019: Nationals
2018: Red Sox
2017: Astros
2016: Cubs
2015: Royals
2014: Giants
2013: Red Sox
2012: Giants
2011: Cardinals
2010: Giants

Who won the World Series last year?

The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in five games to win the 2024 World Series.

Did Vladimir Guerrero win a World Series?

Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero never won a World Series title, making his only Fall Classic appearance for the Texas Rangers in 2010, the penultimate of his 16-year MLB career.

When did the Dodgers move to LA?

The Dodgers left Brooklyn after the 1957 season, playing their first game in Los Angeles in 1958.

The Giants departed New York for San Francisco at the same time, bringing the historic rivalry to the West Coast.

2025 World Series umpires

MLB announced the umpires and full schedule for the crew chosen to call this year’s World Series. Mark Wegner has been designated as crew chief for the first time. It’s his third World Series overall overall during a 25-year career.

Here’s how the umpires will line up for Game 1:

Home plate: Will Little
First base: Mark Wegner (crew chief)
Second base: John Tumpane
Third base: Alan Porter
Left field: Adam Hamari
Right field: Jordan Baker
Reserve: Adrian Johnson

Dodgers vs Blue Jays World Series tickets

When Chauncey Billups left a federal courthouse in Portland on Thursday afternoon after being arrested hours earlier, the notion of an active NBA head coach being involved in what authorities said were underground and rigged poker games backed by the biggest names in organized crime, stunned the world.

Now, his future and legacy are in question until the day his case is resolved.

Until then, Billups is on leave from his job coaching the Portland Trail Blazers and is set to be arraigned in New York on Nov. 24 on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, each carrying a possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

The 49-year-old Billups, a five-time All-Star who spent 17 seasons in the NBA and won a Finals MVP award with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, was inducted into the Naismith Memoral Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

In another part of the indictment tied to gambling, Billups is believed to be ‘Co-Conspirator 8,’ who authorities say gave confidential game information before it was publicly available, and is described as an ex-NBA player who played from 1997 to 2014, an NBA coach since 2021, and an Oregon resident. Billups meets all three of those characteristics.

The highest honor for an athlete is enshrinement in their sport’s Hall of Fame, and for Billups, his induction is secure for now, as the bylaws contain no provision for removing an enshrinee for any reason.

The Naismith Hall of Fame does make sure that they remove candidates who have ‘damaged the integrity of the game of basketball,’ but that is before a player is voted in for induction.

Billups’ attorney Chris Heywood says that his client ‘has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to.’

Here is how other North American Sports Hall of Fames handle those who run afoul of the law after they are inducted:

NFL

While the Basketball Hall of Fame implies that no member can be removed, the Pro Football Hall of Fame bylaws explicitly state that no person may be removed, no matter what they have done after enshrinement. The issue was raised recently when a statue of former Washington owner George Preston Marshall was removed from RFK Stadium. Marshall was a known racist and segregationist who refused to integrate his team until being forced to in 1962.

The most famous example of a Hall of Fame player whose induction was scrutinized after the fact was O.J. Simpson. Simpson was acquitted of the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in 1994, but was later convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He served nine years before being paroled in 2017.

MLB

Over the years, baseball has made sure to keep out Hall of Fame players it believes have ruined the integrity of the game. While no player has ever been removed, they have kept cheaters, gamblers, and others who have committed various forms of malfeasance at arm’s length for decades.

But in 2025, Commissioner Rob Manfred removed Pete Rose, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson, and 15 others from the permanently ineligible list, making them immediately eligible for the Hall. Manfred said there is no reason to keep them on the list once they have died.

Death may be the only way retired players such as Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and many others who have been accused of using performance-enhancing substances will ever be given the honor to grace the walls in Cooperstown, New York.

NHL

The National Hockey League also has never removed a member, but the Hall’s board has set a precedent and can vote to remove an inductee.

In 1998, Alan Eagleson, who had once been the executive director of the Players’ Association, resigned after 18 Hockey Hall of Fame members, including Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Ted Lindsay, and Bobby Hull, said they would leave the Hall if Eagleson were allowed to remain.

Eagleson, elected to the Hall in 1989, pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud after being accused of defrauding the league’s players by skimming players’ pension funds and disability payments and was fined $700,000. Eagleson pleaded guilty to an additional three counts in Canada and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He resigned from the Hall less than a week before the Board’s directors were to vote on his possible expulsion.

Tennis

One sport’s Hall of Fame has taken the steps of removing a person after induction.

In 2012, the International Tennis Hall of Fame expelled former Grand Slam doubles champion Bob Hewitt, who was accused of sexually assaulting minors he was coaching. Hewitt was convicted in 2015 and was released from prison after serving four years of a six-year sentence.