The Los Angeles Dodgers looked to be in full control of the World Series with two more home contests and a 2-1 lead after a dramatic 18-inning win in Game 3.
Yet just like that, the Toronto Blue Jays are one win away from their first championship since 1993 a mere two days later.
Toronto defeated Los Angeles 6-1 in Wednesday’s Game 5 at Dodger Stadium and now has a 3-2 lead as the series shifts north of the border for Friday’s Game 6. While Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went deep for the offense, the story was starting pitcher Trey Yesavage.
The rookie turned in the performance of his career on the biggest stage by striking out 12 and allowing three hits in seven brilliant innings of work. A Dodgers lineup that is loaded with stars had no chance against his stuff, and Seranthony DomÃnguez and Jeff Hoffman finished the win from the bullpen.
Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman went a combined 0-for-11 against Yesavage on top of the Los Angeles order, and social media was not kind to the home team’s offense:
That it was a rematch of the Game 1 starters was notable since Yesavage also got the best of Blake Snell in the initial matchup. It was the first time all playoffs Snell looked anything but unhittable, and the Blue Jays wasted no time making sure that pattern continued.
In fact, they wasted absolutely no time.
Schneider launched a homer on the very first pitch of the game, and Guerrero followed with a long ball on the third pitch. It was immediately 2-0 Blue Jays thanks to the first time in history a team opened a World Series game with back-to-back homers.
Snell settled in from there but didn’t get much help in his 6.2 innings.
He was charged with five earned runs, but the third one came home on an Ernie Clement sacrifice fly that was only possible because Teoscar Hernández misplayed Daulton Varsho’s triple. And the fourth and fifth runs came when base runners he was responsible for scored when Edgardo Henriquez gave up a wild pitch and an RBI single.
Henriquez didn’t record a single out in the three batters he faced in the seventh before Anthony Banda struggled in the eighth as the Blue Jays broke it open against the bullpen, but the real problem for the Dodgers was the offense.
While Enrique Hernández hit a solo homer in the third, nobody else had an answer for Yesavage. Los Angeles’ most dangerous rally came in the fourth with two runners on, but the right-hander calmly induced a pop out from Tommy Edman.
Yesavage worked ahead in the count, remained aggressive deep into the game and racked up the strikeouts in front of a frustrated crowd. The top of the Dodgers order was nonexistent, and he ended his game in style with a double play ball from Edman to eliminate a brief threat in the seventh.
If the Blue Jays finish the job at home, Yesavage will forever be a World Series hero.