WORLD SERIES NEWS: Dodgers utility man Miguel Rojas is surprise Game 7 hero

Where superstars Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez stumbled, bench player Miguel Rojas stepped up.

The Dodgers Big Four had Rojas to thank for their champagne hangovers the morning after a dramatic World Series win over the Blue Jays. Down to their last two outs in the 9th inning of Game 7, Los Angeles tied a 4-3 nail biter after Rojas blasted a rare home run that stunned Toronto and lifted the Dodgers to a thrilling 11-inning win for the ages.

The light-hitting utility infielder, who got a surprise start at second base, also saved the win with his glove in the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded with Blue Jays and the Dodgers infield playing in, Rojas snared a hard grounder, momentarily fumbled the ball, then fired a strike to catcher Will Smith to force the runner at home by a blink.

Smith later hit the solo shot that won the game, but it was Rojas who became yet another no-name World Series hero after most of the big Dodger bats went cold. Freeman, Betts and Hernandez hit only 2 home runs with 7 RBI between them and Ohtani faltered on the mound with a combined 7.56 ERA in his two starts.

Most fans watching the game worldwide even knew who Rojas was before his Game 7 heroics. The Venezuelan native was signed by the Cincinnati Reds as a teenager in 2006, then spent more than nine years in the minors before his 2014 debut with the Dodgers.

He was traded to the Marlins the following season and played eight years in Miami as a semi-regular known for his defense. He reached double-digits in home runs only once — 11 over 153 games in 2018.

Traded back to the Dodgers before the 2024 season, Rojas, 36, was widely respected in the L.A. clubhouse for his veteran leadership and solid play. Now he’ll forever be revered for one of the biggest clutch homers in postseason history.