A record-setting amount of people tuned in to watch the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, and among them was Justin Turner.
A nine-year veteran with the Dodgers from 2014-2022, Turner spent the 2025 season with the Chicago Cubs. They too reached the postseason, qualifying as the No. 4 seed in the National League bracket.
The Cubs eliminated the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series, but came up short to the Milwaukee Brewers in a thrilling five games in the National League Division Series.
A win for the Cubs would have set up a meeting with the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series and represented Turner’s first postseason series against his former team. Instead, the Dodgers swept the Brewers to advance to their fifth World Series in nine seasons.
Turner said he was impressed by the quality of the product on the field and that the Dodgers and Blue Jays certainly helped grow the sport.
“I think it had a little bit of everything,” he said. “It had extra innings, it had walk-offs, it had pinch-hit grand slams, it had four starting pitchers pitching in one game, crazy plays at the plate. It was just jam-packed, full of action.
“Literally had two countries of fanbases watching. I think it was one of the highest-watched World Series in 30 years. Really, three countries, with all the Japanese players the Dodgers are employing.
“So it was just really good for baseball, really good for viewership. I think that World Series definitely helped grow the game, and I think that’s the point. We want to grow the game and we want to inspire young kids to fall in love with the game early, chase their dreams and hopefully they’re the ones playing in Game 7 of the World Series.”
Turner has signed a series of one-year contracts in free agency since departing from the Dodgers at the end of 2022. He signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2023, the Blue Jays in 2024 and Cubs in 2025. He was also traded to the Seattle Mariners during the 2024 season.
While Turner intends to continue playing in 2026, he did acknowledge there is a high probability of eventually signing a one-day contract to retire with the Dodgers.
9th Annual Justin Turner Foundation Golf Classic
The ninth annual Justin Turner Foundation Golf Classic took place this week at Sherwood Country Club in Thousands Oaks, Calif. The fundraising event was hosted by Turner and his wife Kourtney Turner.
The participants included plenty of current and retired MLB players, including former Dodgers.
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