All of Toronto manager John Schneider’s maneuverings in Game 3 make sense if you accept this to be true: The underdog Blue Jays have to make every single scoring opportunity count against the Dodgers. They must operate with urgency.
Schneider’s aggressiveness paid off in a nine-run seventh inning in Game 1, as he yanked a hobbled Bo Bichette for a pinch-runner and soon after saw pinch-hitter Addison Barger smack a grand slam. When it works, it’s a stroke of genius.
In Game 3, the moves weren’t met with magic. An injury to George Springer forced Schneider to go to the bench early, but the further emptying was self-inflicted. In came Isiah Kiner-Falefa for Bo Bichette, Myles Straw for Addison Barger, Davis Schneider for Ty France (who had replaced Springer). By extras, Schneider was without four of his top hitters, aiding a wobbly Dodgers bullpen.
Every move was made with the urgency of someone who felt the game would be won or lost right then and there. Sometimes that’s the right approach. Yet when the rare outcome happens, like an 18-inning marathon, you could be left feeling like you played the wrong hand in a game the Dodgers delivered a beatable result.