UPDATE: The Toronto Blue Jays are on the brink of their first World Series championship since 1993 after a stunning 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 on October 25, 2023. Rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage made history with a record-breaking 12 strikeouts, propelling Toronto within one win of the title.
Yesavage, just 22 years old, broke the World Series rookie record previously set by Don Newcombe in 1949. He dominated the Dodgers, allowing only three hits and striking out six batters with his sinking splitter and spinning slider. His performance quieted a crowd of 52,175 fans at Dodger Stadium.
In an explosive start, the Blue Jays opened the game with back-to-back home runs from Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. Schneider, stepping up in place of the injured George Springer, hit the first pitch from Blake Snell into the left-field bleachers, marking the first time consecutive homers have opened a World Series game.
“I just need to get in the strike zone,” Yesavage told Fox Sports after the game. “When three of my pitches are in the strike zone, I’m in control.”
Despite a stellar pitching performance, Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, dropped to 0-2 in the Series, allowing five runs and walking four over 6 2/3 innings. The Dodgers’ lineup struggled mightily, hitting just .202 in the Series, with their top four hitters managing only one hit in 15 at-bats.
Yesavage’s record-setting strikeout total included no walks, making him the first pitcher in Series history to achieve this feat. His 23 swing-and-misses were the most in a Series game since pitch tracking began in 2008, surpassing Tim Lincecum‘s record from 2010.
The Blue Jays now have a chance to clinch the Series at home when it resumes on Friday night at Rogers Centre. No team has won consecutive World Series titles since the New York Yankees’ three-peat from 1998 to 2000.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts made drastic changes to his lineup, moving Mookie Betts down to the third spot for the first time since 2021. However, these changes failed to ignite the offense, which has scored only four runs in the last 29 innings.
With the Blue Jays one game away from championship glory, fans are eagerly anticipating Game 6, where Yoshinobu Yamamoto will face off against Kevin Gausman in a rematch of Game 2, which the Dodgers won 5-1.
The tension mounts as the Blue Jays aim to rewrite history, while the Dodgers seek to stage a comeback and defend their championship title. Fans worldwide are watching closely as this thrilling postseason unfolds.
