"How important was the Blue Jays' Game 1 World Series win over the LA Dodgers? Since 1995, 24 out of the 30 teams who have won Game 1 of the World Series have gone on to win the whole thing. That's 80% of the field crossing the finish line in the pole position. 1995 is a good year to start with for measuring this success as that was the first season in which MLB added the Division Series to it's playoff format."
"In the last ten years, there has only been three instances in which the team that opened the series with a win didn't go on to win the World Series. Those teams were the 2016 Guardians, who won Game 1, 6-0 over the Cubs but lost in seven games; the 2017 Dodgers, who won Game 1, 3-1 over the Astros but lost in seven game; and the 2022 Phillies who won Game 1, 6-5 over the Astros but lost in six games."
The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series, overcoming widespread predictions that they would be outmatched. Since 1995, 24 of 30 teams that won Game 1 went on to win the World Series, an 80% conversion rate, reflecting the post-1995 playoff format. Only three teams in the last decade won Game 1 but lost the series: the 2016 Guardians, 2017 Dodgers, and 2022 Phillies. Toronto's own history shows Game 1 wins are not guarantees; the 1992 Braves won Game 1 but Toronto recovered to win the series. The Game 1 victory serves as a strong tone-setter but not an absolute predictor.
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