The 2025 World Series is finally here, and it features the Los Angeles Dodgers squaring off against the Toronto Blue Jays. The reigning champions will face the lone Canadian franchise, one that's looking to snap a 32-year championship drought. Game 1 of the series will be at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, and here are our three best player props for that opening contest of the series.
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Best MLB Bets: Player Props for Game 1
Blake Snell Over 6.5 total strikeouts (+102 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Snell has been pitching lights out in the playoffs, and every time the Dodgers have needed him to step up, he's done it so -- and then some. With that in mind, it's only fair to wait for Snell to put on a show in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series. Snell has started Game 1 in each of the Dodgers' three previous playoff series, and he has looked more and more dominant every time. He struck out nine against the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Round and NLDS, respectively, before fanning 10 over eight scoreless innings against the Brewers in the NLCS.
The Blue Jays are a tougher offensive matchup than the likes of Milwaukee and Cincinnati, but given the way Snell dominated the Phillies, he should have enough to dominate against Toronto as well, even if he's pitching on 11 days of rest. Look for Snell to hit the Over on the strikeout line for the fourth playoff start in a row.
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Trey Yesavage Over 2.5 earned runs (-125 at BetMGM)
Yesavage looked well on his way to posting a scoreless outing in his previous start against the Mariners in Game 6 of the ALCS, but the wheels came off a bit, and he ended up allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out seven across 5.2 pitched innings. That was a bounce-back performance for the righty, who allowed five runs in Game 2 of the series against Seattle.
Considering all the struggles he had against Seattle, it's difficult to see Yesavage dominating the Dodgers' mighty lineup. Plus, the context of when and where he'll pitch is impossible to ignore. At 22 years and 88 days old, Yesavage will be the second-youngest World Series Game 1 starter in history, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Yesavage has made three starts this postseason, collecting a 4.20 ERA and 22:7 K:BB over 15 innings.
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Shohei Ohtani Over 1.5 total bases (-111 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
The last time Ohtani stepped into the batter's box in an MLB game, he crushed three home runs and struck out 10 to help the Dodgers win the National League pennant in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Brewers. It's just not realistic to expect to launch multiple homers every game... but right now, no player in baseball has more aura of being able to turn a game around by himself than Ohtani.
The star slugger is hitting just .219 in the playoffs and has recorded multiple bases just three times across 10 games, but two of those came in Games 3 and 4 of the NLCS. Could it be that he's beginning to turn things around? Ohtani could take advantage of facing a rookie pitcher in Yesavage, and the Dodgers will certainly have a stronger chance of making a huge impact in the series opener if Ohtani can set the tone offensively at the top of the order.
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MLB Picks Recap - Player Props for Game 1
- Blake Snell Over 6.5 total strikeouts (+102 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Trey Yesavage Over 2.5 earned runs (-125 at BetMGM)
- Shohei Ohtani Over 1.5 total bases (-111 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
