LOS ANGELES, CA — The Tigers came within one win of ending a 45-year championship drought, but their dream season ended Sunday night as the Dodgers claimed a 3-2 victory in Game 7 at Dodger Stadium to secure their third consecutive World Series title.
Los Angeles, which also won championships over the Yankees in 2024 and the Blue Jays in 2025, leaned on another dominant performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and just enough early offense to finish off Detroit.
The Dodgers struck quickly against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who had been held back from Game 6 in anticipation of a winner-take-all showdown. In the first inning, Kyle Tucker lined an RBI double to center that scored Will Smith, and Andy Pages followed with a run-scoring single to make it 2-0.
Los Angeles added its third run in the second when Teoscar Hernández launched a solo homer, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead and providing all the offense they would ultimately need.
The right-hander was brilliant from the outset, retiring Tigers hitters with ease and carrying a no-hit bid into the fourth inning. Detroit finally broke through when Kerry Carpenter lined a two-out double to center, but Yamamoto escaped the inning by striking out Riley Greene on a curveball in the dirt.
While Yamamoto dominated, Skubal battled through a difficult start. The Tigers left-hander allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over the first two innings before settling in and keeping the Dodgers off the scoreboard the rest of his outing.
Detroit’s offense remained silent for most of the night. Yamamoto completed seven innings and allowed just one hit while repeatedly frustrating a Tigers lineup that had powered its way through much of the postseason.
Once Yamamoto exited, however, Detroit finally showed signs of life.
In the eighth inning, Spencer Torkelson, who had endured a difficult postseason at the plate, launched a solo homer off Alex Vesia to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Tigers made one final push in the ninth against closer Edwin Díaz. With two outs, Carpenter crushed a solo homer to center to make it 3-2. Moments later, Greene singled up the middle, bringing the tying run aboard and putting the potential go-ahead run at the plate.
Fittingly, that hitter was Torkelson, who had a chance to redeem his postseason struggles with one swing.
Instead, he lifted a fly ball to center field that settled into a Dodgers glove, setting off a celebration inside Dodger Stadium as Los Angeles secured another championship.
For Detroit, the loss ends a remarkable postseason run that fell just short of delivering the franchise’s first World Series title since 1984. For the Dodgers, it raises the next question: can this dynasty continue?
Los Angeles will enter next season chasing a fourth consecutive championship — a feat that would further cement this Dodgers era among baseball’s greatest dynasties.
