Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Catch. Throw. Hit. Run. The four horsemen of baseball. Considered America’s Greatest Pastime, kids of all ages are learning the joy of a ball and a bat. Baseball participation in the United States tops 16.7 million, and other casual forms of play championed by the Play Ball initiative is at almost nine million. Want to have some fun? Play (or watch) a ball game.

Perhaps this 2025 World Series was the greatest series that was ever played. It was a thriller. David versus Goliath. The billion-dollar Dodgers franchise was ready to crush the Toronto Blue Jays after the Dodgers dominant performance in the playoffs. But not so fast. The Blue Jays took the Dodgers to school. And what a show we had. Every game was an epic battle.

Dodgers Shohei Ohtani has been considered the greatest player of all time. Yep, move over Babe Ruth. Ohtani is the best two-way player in a century. His pitching and hitting in the last game of the playoffs against the Brewers saw him throw 87 pitches, strike out ten batters and hit three homeruns.

But this wasn’t a World Series about Ohtani. In Game 4, there was the brilliance of the Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who homered off Ohtani, to set off four more runs. Then there is Blue Jays Erin Clement, whose 30 hits were the most hits ever by any player in one postseason. Records were broken during this series. It was close, a battle for the ages. And when the Dodgers won it all, who didn’t feel a bit of sadness for the Blue Jays?

The backstories of how these athletes got to this point in their careers are sometimes as interesting as the game. Erin Clement, a fantastic infielder, uses a Mizuno glove that he bought from an elderly Japanese woman from eBay. In Game 1, the Blue Jays Trey Yesavage had only made his major league debut on September 15! He went on to pitch an 11-4 victory. In that game Bo Bichette, Toronto’s shortstop, played second base for the first time in his major league career. Stuff like this usually doesn’t happen!

And then there is the remarkable Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He threw an astounding 96 pitches in winning Game 6 but then came back to wrap up the last game and final victory. Possibly the greatest pitching performance in the history of any World Series. And just as a warm-up for preparation, Yamamoto throws a javelin before games. Sure, why not? Try a discus next.

The best part of this series was that while the Dodgers cemented their dynasty and place in history, the Blue Jays showed the world how a gritty team can treat every play like a life-or-death fist fight, displaying the hearts of champions to the bitter end. Records were smashed. Legends were made. About thirty million folks watched it all happen.

One of the announcers of the last game and final play, shook his head and says, “We might never see this again.” Another broadcaster shouted when it was all over, “What a time to be alive.” So true. It was a grand slam for the ages.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com