Blue Jays One Step Away of Victory After Rookie Phenom Dominates Dodgers in Fifth Match
Yesavage authored a masterclass on the mound and Schneider connected for a homer on the opening pitch as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6–1 on Wednesday evening, moving within one victory of their first World Series championship since the 1993 season.
Yesavage's Historic Outing
The 22-year-old Yesavage, who made his major league debut in September, recorded 12 strikeouts and zero walks – the first pitcher in World Series history to do so. The first-year pitcher gave up only a single run on three hits in seven innings. He started the season in Class A before sparse crowds, but has now been the winning pitcher in two of Toronto's three wins in this championship series.
Early Offensive Explosion
Toronto’s hitters gave him breathing room almost immediately. On the first pitch of the game, Schneider turned on a 97mph fastball and drove it over the left-field wall. Two pitches later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr homered as well to almost the exact same place. It marked the unprecedented occurrence in the World Series that the game began with two straight homers, leaving the audience in awe before most had taken their places.
Yesavage Takes Control
Yesavage then took over. He struck out five consecutive batters between the early frames, establishing a new rookie mark before Kiké Hernández finally broke the streak with a solo homer in the bottom of the third to make it 2–1. That was the nearest the Dodgers came.
Building the Advantage
In the fourth inning, Varsho lined a triple into the right-field corner after a fielding error, and Ernie Clement lifted a sacrifice fly to score him for a three to one lead. The Los Angeles offense continued to sputter from there. After a six-run output in an 18-inning game, they’ve scored a mere four times in nearly 30 innings.
Seventh-Inning Rally
The Dodgers starter lasted into the seventh inning but exited in the seventh after the bases became full. Both runners he left behind came around to score – via a wild pitch and one more on a base hit – to extend the lead to 5–1. A single in the eighth provided the last run.
Relievers Seal the Deal
Yesavage exited to a standing ovation from the traveling fans, and the pen closed it out. The bullpen arms each worked a scoreless inning to end the game, recording three strikeouts together while protecting the rookie's gem.
Offensive Woes Continue
The Dodgers, who rearranged their batting order in an attempt to generate runs, again struggled to get going. Their top hitter went without a hit in four trips and is now without a hit in his last seven appearances since reaching base a World Series-record nine times in the third game.
Looking Ahead to Game 6
Now holding a 3-2 lead, Toronto go back to their own stadium with two games to secure the title. The sixth game is set for Friday at Toronto's ballpark.