This World Series was always Goliath vs. Goliath — as straightforward as the two best teams standing. And now the Blue Jays are one win from proving to be the best.Led by Trey Yesavage’s legendary 12-strikeout performance, the Blue Jays took control of Wednesday’s decisive Game 5 at the Chavez Ravine. Now they head back to Canada, where they have a 3-1 lead in the World Series. With only 27 more outs between them and their first title in 32 years, here are my main takeaways. First-inning Fireworks. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photo via Getty Images.) Before the crowd had even settled down, the Blue Jays already held a 2-0 advantage. Pete Rose and Joe Morgan starting the Big Red Machine. George Springer and Alex Bregman, 2017 Astros. Rickey Henderson and Carney Lansford for the 1989 Oakland A’s. Shohei Ohtani for the 2024 Dodgers. It was a surprise. Snell didn’t have time to collect himself after Schneider became the fifth player to hit the first pitch of a World Series game for a home run, joining Derek Jeter (Game 4, 2000), Alcides Escobar (Game 1, 2015, inside-the-park), Chris Taylor (Game 1, 2017), and Jorge Soler (Game 1, 2021). Davis Schneider & Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit back-to-back home runs to give Blue Jays early lead over Dodgers 2. Trey’s Tour de ForceTrey Yesavage was filthy, lights out, electric, and, ultimately, untouchable. The Blue Jays’ brilliant prodigy perplexed the Dodgers lineup from the moment he delivered his first pitch. Yesavage was able to strike out four consecutively by the end the second inning. He then added another one at the start of the top third. By the time he left the mound in the fourth inning, his strikeout total was eight. He kept deploying an unhittable splitter. Yesavage showed off his skills in front of Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax. Koufax was sitting on the front row of Dodger Stadium. It was masterful. Yesavage is the first World Series rookie with at least 10 strikeouts since Don Newcombe, who whiffed eleven Yankees in the Game 1 of the World Series in 1949. Smoky Joe wood, who struck out 11 New York Giants during the 1912 World Series for a pitcher under 22 years old, was passed by Yesavage. That’s how rare it is to see a rookie pitcher like Yesavage dominate on the sport’s biggest stage. Blue Jays are one victory away from being world champions thanks to the right-hander that was only seven weeks ago pitching for the Buffalo Bisons of Triple-A. Snell Recovers; Offense Stumbles. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB photos via Getty Images). After allowing two long home runs with his fastball in his first inning, Snell avoided his heater for 22 straight pitches. It wasn’t until he got ahead of Andres Gimenez on an 0-2 count that he went back to the four-seamer, using it to whiff the Blue Jays shortstop for the final out of the second inning. The fastball was back in play for the remainder of his 6 ⅔ -inning outing. Snell was troubled by the same pitch in the first game of the Fall Classic. After the game, he admitted that he “had a lot to learn.” against a Blue Jays offensive that was relentless. In Game 5, we saw how much he’d adjusted. Over 115 pitches, Snell limited Toronto’s gritty offense to three runs while striking out seven batters. He adjusted and kept his team in the game after that ugly opening frame, before the bullpen allowed a pair of inherited runners to score in the seventh to deepen Los Angeles’ deficit. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) But just like we saw in Game 4, the Dodgers bats didn’t do enough to support their starting pitcher’s fortitude. Shohei Ahtani criticized the offense for the Game 4 loss. “We could at least do the bare minimal to be able put up some runs.” In their last 29, they have only scored four runs. Kiké Hernández responded by putting the Dodgers on the board with a solo shot in the third inning off Yesavage. Los Angeles was unable to do more than that. No matter how strong their starting pitchers have been, the Dodgers can’t win without giving them support. It’s time to start a fire. The Blue Jays have once again flipped the script. When the Dodgers were heavily favored to dazzle the world with their star-studded, uber-talented offense, it was Toronto’s bats that became inevitable. Hacking away and adding on runs little by little, the Dodgers have officially become the Jays’ latest victim. They defeated the Yankees pitching in October. Then they bombarded the Mariners’ terrific rotation. And now they’ve dismantled Dodgers arms by sticking to their proven approach.Sometimes, they slug (like we saw in the first inning). They also make contact with the ball and accept their free passes at other times (like in the 7th inning). Addison Barger hit a single to the left field, Andres Gmenez and Guerrero Jr. were walked, and the Jays overwhelmed the bases, causing Snell and reliever Edgardo Hénriquez to make errors on wild pitches, which led to additional runs. Bo Bichette’s RBI single to the right extended their lead by 5-1. Ernie Clement singled to start the eighth inning, and IsiahkinerFalefa followed with an RBI single. All postseason, the damage has been slow, painful, and unavoidable for opposing teams standing in the Jays’ way. It’s just a matter of time before they break through.4 ½. What’s next?In a must-win game, it will be up to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to keep the Dodgers’ dreams of repeating alive, and that’s exactly who they want on the mound in the most important game of their season. Yamamoto will attempt to complete his third postseason game in a row, a feat last accomplished by Curt Shilling in 2001 with the Diamondbacks. Kevin Gausman is aiming to bring the Blue Jays a championship trophy. Be prepared. Deesha is a MLB writer for FOX. She covered the Mets for the New York Daily News as a beat journalist. Deesha, the daughter of Indian immigrants who grew up in Long Island, now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar. FOLLOW Customize your FOX Sport experience by following your favorites.
2025-10-30 03:28:06
4 Takeaways From the Blue Jays’ World Series Game 5 Win Over the Dodgers
