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Fans come for fastballs, they stay for shared adrenaline. This year the World Series 2025 opens in Toronto with a made-for-primetime double feature, a stage set to keep eyes on screens long before the first pitch. I thought I knew the ritual, then MLB upped the tempo
Why this pregame show actually matters
The audience doesn’t want to pick between spectacle and sport. They want rhythm, emotion, a story that begins before the leadoff hitter. The World Series 2025 checks every box, recruiting artists who unite communities beyond baseball. For the league, the goal is obvious, boost early retention, grow second-screen chatter, and expand the conversation to timelines that never track a curveball
Who performs and when
On Friday, Oct. 24 at Rogers Centre, Pharrell Williams leads the choir Voices of Fire in a synthesized two-track performance drawn from the OPHANIM album, then they deliver the U.S. and Canadian anthems before Game 1. On Saturday, Oct. 25, MLB hands the spotlight to the Jonas Brothers, who bring “I Can’t Lose” from their project Greetings From Your Hometown to the infield for Game 2. Details are specific, tension stays high
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The symbolism is clean. Pharrell frames collective lift through choral power, while the Jonas Brothers drop a hook built for togetherness. The practical effect is predictable, a louder building during warmups and a social blast right as cameras settle on the diamond
The angle that changes the game
This isn’t a pre-show, it’s a staging strategy. MLB set the tone weeks earlier with the “October Hits Different” campaign starring Pharrell and Voices of Fire around OPHANIM. The point is continuity, not a poster slapped together the night before. Music becomes the gateway to the game, an emotional onboarding that lands with Gen Z and with fans who still love an oversized anthem
Classic objection, “music distracts from sport.” Wrong target. The artists don’t cannibalize the event, they prime it. The sequencing is tight, pregame adrenaline pours into the first pitch instead of delaying it. Also, early tune-ins trend upward, which no broadcaster hates
Blue jays vs Dodgers, a narrative gift
The stage is perfect, Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Dodgers, two massive fanbases, a cross-border frame, and a rivalry that photographs well. Translation, twin peaks of interest, cities that know how to vibrate a street, and a storyline that writes itself in highlights. The names matter, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, the Dodgers eye a second straight crown, while Toronto chases a first World Series ring since 1993. That’s the kind of tension executive decks label a setup that sells
Pharrell & Voices of Fire, unison before collision
The choir arrives carrying the DNA of “October Hits Different” and the texture of OPHANIM, a project that champions cohesion and community. The choice is intentional, a reminder that postseason baseball thrives on converging voices, not just one superstar swing. Expect a sound engineered for lift, the kind that turns a pregame into a collective breath-in
Jonas Brothers, the hook you can chant
“I Can’t Lose” is less a boast than a mindset cue. The track behaves like a locker-room mantra you can sing with 45,000 strangers. It’s sticky, optimistic, and framed for broadcast snippets that rebound across highlights. In short, anthem energy without stealing oxygen from pitch one
Proof you can point to
MLB’s campaign arc set expectations in advance with October Hits Different, and the artists’ statements aligned on unity and purpose. The Jonas Brothers explicitly tied their appearance to charitable support through a major partner, while Pharrell emphasized music’s link to community and sport. The receipts exist, and the messaging is consistent
How to watch and when to tune in
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Game 1 and Game 2 first pitch are slated for 8 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday. If you care about the full arc, start early. The choir, the anthems, then the hook you’ll be humming by the third inning, it’s all engineered to build momentum into the matchup. World Series 2025 is as much about cadence as it is about exit velocity.
This opening weekend is built to feel like a crescendo. The music primes the room, the stadium becomes a single instrument, and the rivalry walks into a brighter light. If you’re chasing edge, watch how the crowd behaves during and after the sets, track the early-inning tempo, and listen for how broadcast audio rides the noise floor. That’s not fluff, it’s context. And context wins in October
