Oct 31, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) celebrates with the Commissioner's Trophy on the podium after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Nearly 26 million viewers tuned in for Game 7 of the baseball World Series, the most since 2017, broadcaster Fox said on Monday after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in a dramatic finale.

The Dodgers were the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back titles on Saturday as they capped what pundits have declared one of the greatest-ever World Series.

The decisive Game 7 averaged 25.98 million viewers, as a reliable stable of stars like Japan's Shohei Ohtani bolstered the international appeal of the Canadian-American clash.

It was the first time since the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros six years ago that the annual Fall Classic reached a full seven games.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; editing by Mark Heinrich)