Game 7’s Defining Moment: Miguel Rojas Cements Dodgers Legacy, While Kiner-Falefa Faces the Fallout
Game 7 of the 2025 World Series had all the ingredients of a classic-late-inning drama, unlikely heroes, and a finish that left one side in euphoria and the other in disbelief. But when the dust settled, one moment stood out above all: Miguel Rojas, a veteran known more for his glove than his bat, delivered twice in the ninth inning-and forever etched his name into Dodgers lore.
Let’s rewind.
The Dodgers were down a run heading into the top of the ninth. Then Rojas, of all people, stepped up and launched a game-tying home run that stunned the crowd and flipped the emotional script.
It wasn’t just unexpected-it was borderline surreal. This wasn’t the guy you circle in the lineup as a power threat.
But in the biggest moment of his career, he delivered.
And he wasn’t done.
In the bottom half, with the Blue Jays threatening to walk it off, Isiah Kiner-Falefa rounded third and made a dash for home. That’s when Rojas, still riding the high of his homer, made a frenetic, instinct-driven throw to the plate-a laser that nailed Kiner-Falefa for the second out. It was a chaotic, heart-stopping play that kept the Dodgers alive and shifted the momentum for good.
The inning ended with Ernie Clement flying out deep to center-a ball that had just enough hang time for Andy Pages to track it down, crashing into the warning track as Kiké Hernández dove to avoid a collision. The Dodgers held on from there, winning the World Series by the narrowest of margins.
One Play, Two Legacies
For Dodgers fans, that inning will be remembered as the culmination of grit and guts. For Blue Jays fans, it’s something else entirely-a moment that turned Kiner-Falefa from a steady veteran into the focal point of a painful postseason memory.
In the aftermath, Kiner-Falefa faced scrutiny-not just for the baserunning decision, but for how he responded to it.
Now with the Red Sox on a one-year, $6 million deal, IKF addressed the play publicly for the first time during his introductory media availability. When asked about the decision to run, he didn’t exactly fall on the sword.
"I did what I was told, and it was an organizational policy," Kiner-Falefa said. "We win as a team, we lose as a team, and there was a lot of opportunities to win before that, and we didn't do it. So that wasn't the sole reason we lost."
It’s a response that’s technically accurate-but it doesn’t exactly strike the chord fans might’ve been hoping for. Especially in contrast to Rojas, who seized the moment and became a postseason legend.
To be fair, Blue Jays manager John Schneider backed up Kiner-Falefa’s explanation, saying the baserunning call came from the dugout. The idea was to avoid a double play and give Clement-who had been red-hot all October-a chance to swing.
Strategically, it made some sense. But in a game this tight, the margin for error was razor-thin.
And the Dodgers made them pay.
A Game of Inches, A Legacy Defined
Rojas wasn’t supposed to be the hero. But baseball has a way of elevating the unexpected. His ninth-inning performance-first at the plate, then in the field-was the kind of sequence that turns role players into legends.
Kiner-Falefa, meanwhile, clearly wanted to be that guy for Toronto. And in a different timeline, maybe he is.
But sports are cruel like that. One decision, one throw, one out at home plate-and everything changes.
IKF also expressed frustration that he didn’t get a chance to speak to the media after the game, saying he wished he had the opportunity to explain himself in the moment. That’s understandable. But in the court of public opinion, sometimes silence speaks louder than words-and the narrative had already taken shape.
The 2025 World Series will be remembered for its drama, its tension, and its unforgettable finish. But for two players-Miguel Rojas and Isiah Kiner-Falefa-it became something more.
One seized the moment. The other is still trying to explain it.