Now that five games of the 2025 World Series have come and gone, with the Toronto Blue Jays winning Game 5 Wednesday in Los Angeles to take a 3-2 series lead, it's worth looking at how important Game 6 victories are for World Series teams and MLB betting trends.
To do so, RotoWire.com looked at the seven World Series this century that went seven games. We broke down which team won Games 6 and 7 to see if any themes emerged, ahead of Friday's Game 6 in Toronto.
How Important is Game 6 To Winning The World Series?
| World Series/Champ | Game 6 Winner | Game 7 Winner |
| 2001: Arizona Diamondbacks (4-3) over New York Yankees | Arizona (15-2) | Arizona (3-2) |
| 2002: Anaheim Angels (4-3) over San Francisco Giants | Anaheim (6-5) | Anaheim (4-1) |
| 2011: St. Louis Cardinals (4-3) over Texas Rangers | St. Louis (10-9) | St. Louis (6-2) |
| 2014: San Francisco Giants (4-3) over Kansas City Royals | Kansas City (10-0) | San Francisco (3-2) |
| 2016: Chicago Cubs (4-3) over Cleveland Indians | Chicago (9-3) | Chicago (8-7) |
| 2017: Houston Astros (4-3) over Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles (3-1) | Houston (5-1) |
| 2019: Washington Nationals (4-3) over Houston Astros | Washington (7-2) | Washington (6-2) |
| Totals: [7 times] | Champs 5-2 in Game 6 since '00 |
This analysis comes from RotoWire.com, where the best sportsbook promos can be found for whichever sport you enjoy for wagering.
What We Can Learn From Game 6 Data
Based on the seven times that a World Series has gone a full seven games, since 2000, winning Game 6 seems to build momentum. Only twice in the past 25 years has the Game 6 winner lost the seventh game. The San Francisco Giants in 2014 and the Houston Astros in 2017 wound up winning Game 7 to bring home a title after dropping Game 6.
The seven teams above all faced the situation that the Dodgers have in front of them: That is, a 3-2 series deficit.
The Dodgers are trying to prevent Blue Jays backers from cashing in big. At BetMGM Sportsbook, Toronto held +6600 odds to win the World Series when the regular season began in late March. Now with the series returning to Canada – and having two chances to clinch at home – the Jays are -250 favorites at BetMGM.
Trends For World Series Game 6 Winners
In the seven instances listed above, the largest margin of victory in a Game 6 was by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, when the Grand Canyon State squad bashed the New York Yankees, 15-2, before outlasting the Bronx Bombers, 3-2, in Game 7.
Between 2001 and 2019, two World Series Game 6s (2002 and 2011) were one-run contests. The 2002 Anaheim Angels beat the Giants, 6-5 and the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals survived against the Texas Rangers, 10-9, before rolling 6-2 in Game 7 to win the title.
The tightest Game 7s this century were 2001, which Arizona won over New York, 3-2, and 2016, when the Cubs snapped the club's 108-year World Series drought in a 8-7 thriller over Cleveland along the banks of Lake Erie. The largest margin of victory in a deciding game since 2000 was four runs, set three times (in 2011 by the Cardinals, 2017 by the Astros and 2019 by the Nationals).
How Are The Odds Looking in 2025?
On the heels of Toronto's Game 5 win on Wednesday evening inside Chavez Ravine, it seems like oddsmakers have flipped-flopped series expectations as the best-of-seven shindig shifts north to Canada.
Oddsmakers from bet365 dropped the reigning champion Dodgers' title odds from -180 on Wednesday to +195 as of Thursday morning. Toronto's odds to win its first World Series since 1993 improved from +150 on Wednesday to -240.
Will Toronto close the series out on Friday, or will we have the eighth Game 7 this century? We will find out in Game 6 at the Rogers Centre. Check our MLB odds on Game 6 to compare operators and get the best price for your wager at RotoWire.com.
