Trey Yesavage was so good Wednesday night in Los Angeles he had Dodgers legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax shaking his head both in astonishment and appreciation.
The Toronto Blue Jays have been so good they have had one pundit after another that picked the Dodgers to win this World Series take a step back and acknowledge they didn’t respect what was on the other side enough.
Baseball fans in Los Angeles are left shell-shocked that their defending champions are on the brink of defeat.
As the world marvels at a Blue Jays team that has captured the hearts of Canada, here are the best reactions from Toronto’s 6-1 win in Game 5 that earned a 3-2 World Series lead.
ALEX RODRIGUEZ – 3xMVP, 14xAll-Star, 2009 World Series champion
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 2203 — Pictured: Former pro baseball player Alex Rodriguez during an interview on Sunday, October 26, 2025 — (Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
I don’t know what was more impressive tonight, his [Trey Yesavage’s] perfect performance tonight or his James Bond [like] ice in his veins. It really was incredible, I mean, I don’t even know how to describe it.
Alex Rodriguez, MVP, All-Star, World Series champion
DAVID ORTIZ – 10xAll-Star, World Series MVP, ALCS MVP, 3-time World Series champion
Oct 27, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; FOX MLB analyst and former player David Ortiz before game one of the 2023 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
His mound presence is absolutely on another level, especially for a kid that started in A-ball” Ortiz said of Yesavage’s performance. “Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers here at their stadium and performing the way he did tonight, wow!
David Ortiz, World Series champion
DEREK JETER – 14xAll-Star, World Series MVP, 5-time World Series champion
ATLANTA, GA – JULY 15: Derek Jeter looks on after the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
“He’s got poise, he’s got confidence, but on top of all that, he’s got great stuff!” Jeter said about Yesavage. “He is nasty, we’re seeing some of the swings from the Dodgers, they look completely fooled and this is their second time facing him.”
Jeter then added more on the Blue Jays pitching as a whole in this series.
“Coming into this series, the storyline was the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching against the Jays. Well, it’s been the Jays pitching that has stepped up and been the story to this point.”
JIM BOWDEN – CBS Baseball analyst
“The one thing I wanna say about this Toronto Blue Jays team, they don’t have any weaknesses up and down that lineup,” Jim Bowden said. “There isn’t a spot in the lineup where you say, ‘Oh, that player’s an out. I can pitch to that guy.’ I mean, Ernie Clement’s got 25 hits this month, 25 hits! It’s up and down this lineup, they make contact, they put the ball in play, they’re elite defensively all over the field.
“They may not have the star power the Dodgers have but they also don’t have the weaknesses.”
CURT SCHILLING – 6xAll-Star, World Series MVP, NLCS MVP, 3-time World Series champion
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Curt Schilling pitches during second inning AL action against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Thursday April 22, 2004. (CP PHOTO/Frank Gunn)
Schilling is one of those former players who did not have enough respect for the 2025 Blue Jays and picked the Dodgers to win comfortably.
He does deserve some credit to owning up to his lack of consideration for Toronto’s quality after Game 5.
WILL MIDDLEBROOKS – 2013 World Series champion
Boston Red Sox Will Middlebrooks celebrates in the dugout after hitting a homer off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dave Bush during seventh inning AL baseball action in Toronto on Sunday April 7, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
“Toronto’s finding six, seven different ways to beat you,” Middlebrooks said on CBS’s post-game show. “They’re running the bases, productive outs, they’re not just swinging for the fences, they’ll take their singles. Death by a thousand cuts.”
JOHN SMOLTZ – 8xAll-Star, Cy Young, NLCS MVP, 1995 World Series champion
Atlanta Braves John Smoltz reacts at his last pitch for a victory of 10-8 over the Montreal Expos during the ninth inning of NL action in Montreal Montreal July 28, 2003. (CP PHOTO – Andre Pichette)
“Vlad Guerrero Jr. has single-handedly shown the world what it’s like to be a complete player and how the World Series has absolutely been his time to show that to everybody,” Smoltz said on ESPN’s The Dan Patrick Show. “I think for the Toronto Blue Jays, for this country [Canada], for everything that he signed on for, I sit and ask the question: Did Vlad need the World Series more than anybody else? And I think the answer’s yes.”
LEWIS BRINSON – 6-Year Major Leaguer
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Lewis Brinson #29 of the San Francisco Giants looks on during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on September 17, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
“This is what they’ve been all year. They’ve showed us their offence is potent, they have great pitching,” Brinson said. “Trey Yesavage shows up out of nowhere and now he’s their best pitcher, he’s their ace right now, he’s their big game pitcher…
“Now you have a bunch of guys that come together, play together and fight for each other. That’s a big aspect.”