© Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series. In doing so, the franchise won its second Commissioner’s Trophy in as many years, and its ninth overall.
The Dodgers provided late-game heroics in a dramatic comeback. One Toronto fan is now looking to cash in.
The final series was back and forth. Los Angeles won two of the first three games. The Blue Jays battled back to take a 3-2 series lead.
The Dodgers then needed two wins with their backs against the wall. They succeeded in getting them.
The Toronto Blue Jays lost the World Series.
Games 6 and 7 were held in Toronto. The Dodgers won both. After evening the series at 3-3, they ended the season with fireworks.
The Blue Jays held a 4-2 lead entering the eighth inning. Max Muncy cut the deficit in half with a solo home run in the top of the frame.
Miguel Rojas evened the score an inning later. The fan who caught that ball was a Blue Jays fan. He appeared to throw it back onto the field to keep with MLB tradition.
The guy who threw the Rojas home run back onto the field never buys a drink again in his life in Toronto. #WANTITALL pic.twitter.com/O4FvQQSCsM
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) November 2, 2025
But did he?
If you look back closely at the video, you’ll see his sleight of hand. He digs into his front pocket before tossing the ball back. He says the game ball was NOT the ball thrown onto the field.
John Bains, 61, of Brampton, Ontario, was sitting in the front row of the left-field bleachers when he caught Rojas’ 387-foot shot on a fly…
Bains appeared to throw back Rojas’ tying homer, but he told cllct he had two other balls in his pocket in case he needed to pull the switcheroo.
“I had a feeling I might have had to do it,” Bains said… “It wasn’t even a World Series ball.”
John Bains wants a payday.
That Miguel Rojas home run ball became much more valuable by game’s end. In extra innings, Will Smith put the Dodgers up for good with a solo blast of his own.
A familiar face caught that ball, too.
Bains’ son, Matthew, hauled in Will Smith’s home run ball. The father-son duo is now asking $2.5 million for the pair.
“I’d take $1 million for the Rojas ball and $1.5 million for the Smith ball,” he said. “They were both game-changing baseballs.”
-John Bains
According to Cllct, Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam ball sold for $1.56 million after the 2024 World Series. It was the third-most expensive price in MLB history behind Shohei Ohtani’s 50th HR ball ($4.39M) and Mark McGwire’s 70th HR ($3.05M).
Bains believes the Will Smith ball is just as valuable. The Rojas ball isn’t far behind. Both represent game-changing moments in an epic World Series Game 7.
After initially being considered a Toronto legend, though, Bains’ popularity will take a hit. He duped the home crowd. Now, he’ll cash in.