The Blue Jays have advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1993, with a gigantic final test looming against the Los Angeles Dodgers starting this Friday.

The defending champions have produced one of the most impressive playoff runs in recent memory, going 7-1, including a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. They are looking to win another World Series championship, which would be their third title since 2020.

Let’s take a look at one of the key things the Blue Jays will have to do to win the series: getting to the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Los Angeles boasted the fifth-best starting rotation in the majors by ERA in the regular season (3.69), and they’ve been on a whole other level in the playoffs.

The addition of a no-limitations Shohei Ohtani to the trio of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow has combined for a minuscule 1.40 ERA in the playoffs thus far. The Blue Jays’ lineup has proven that they can hit top-flight pitching this postseason, but you could argue that the Dodgers’ four starters are better than any starter they’ve seen so far. On the other hand, you could also argue that the Dodgers’ pitching staff hasn’t faced an offense like the Blue Jays, who ranked third in the major leagues in OPS in the regular season (.760), and have been even better under the bright lights of the playoffs.

Despite possessing one of the best offences in baseball in 2025, the Blue Jays ranked 27th in the league in pitches seen per plate appearance (3.77). It remains to be seen whether the Jays will be a bit more patient in an attempt to raise the pitch count of the Dodgers’ starters in the World Series.

On the bright side, the NL West champions can potentially be had once they turn to their relief arms.

Los Angeles had the 21st-ranked bullpen in the majors in 2025 by ERA (4.27), and they’ve been worse since the postseason started (4.88). Free agent left-handed reliever Tanner Scott was brought in to be the team’s closer, but failed to live up to the hype this season. He has been away from the club due to injury for the entire postseason, but may return for the World Series. The Dodgers’ best reliever has been converted starter Roki Sasaki, who has assumed the closer’s role and authored a 1.13 ERA in seven appearances. If the Blue Jays can force the Dodgers to bridge the gap between their starting pitchers and Sasaki, they have a great chance to do some damage.

Notably, the Dodgers’ most used relief arms in the regular season are all left-handers: Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer, alongside the injured Scott. Each appeared in at least 60 games, with all but Scott owning an ERA around 3.00. All three of those guys are typically only used in one-inning stints. Aside from Sasaki, the only right-handed relievers to appear in multiple playoff games are Blake Treinen and Emmitt Sheehan, who have given up a combined seven earned runs across 7.0 innings pitched.

The Mariners’ bullpen was the complete opposite.

They only carried one lefty reliever – Gabe Speier – who appeared in three games, including game four in which the Jays tagged him for a couple of runs. More left-handed relievers would play into the hands of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who hit much better against southpaws than right-handers in the regular season. It’s also fair to expect more Davis Schneider in pinch-hit situations after he saw just five plate appearances in the ALCS and the Jays are also expecting the return of Bo Bichette this series, as the right-handed bat has not played since sustaining a knee injury back in early September. 09

Although the lefties have proven to be reliable for manager Dave Roberts, the lack of trustworthy right-handed options may prevent the Dodgers from playing the matchups against the Jays’ big bats.