It looked like an uphill climb for the Toronto Blue Jays in their Game 5 World Series matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. On the mound for the Jays was 22-year-old rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage, making only the fifth start of his Major League career. Opposing him was the Dodgers’ Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner and the hottest pitcher in baseball.
Toronto would once again be without veteran DH George Springer, still out with an injury suffered in the Blue Jays’ 6-5 Game 3 marathon loss on Monday night. And they would face a hostile Los Angeles crowd still smarting after Toronto scored four runs in the seventh inning of Game 4 en route to a series-tying 6-2 victory. And despite all of that, the Blue Jays find themselves one victory away from their first World Championship since 1993.
Blue Jays’ Yesavage and Guerrero Come Up Big
The Blue Jays’ Yesavage and power-hitting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had their own thoughts on the outcome of Game 5. Yesavage threw seven innings of three-hit ball, striking out 12 Dodgers’ hitters without walking a soul. By doing this, he broke or tied several fall classic records. He became the first rookie since the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Don Newcombe in 1949 to record double-digit strikeouts in a World Series game.
He also became the first pitcher since fellow Dodger Sandy Koufax (1963) with at least 10 strikeouts in the opening five innings of a World Series game. Additionally, he broke Smoky Joe Wood’s 1912 record (11) for most strikeouts by a pitcher age 22 or younger in a World Series contest. And the Blue Jays rookie did all of this only a month and a half after his MLB debut in a season where he started the year pitching for Toronto’s Single-A affiliate, the Dunedin Blue Jays.
After Toronto left fielder Davis Schneider’s first-pitch 373-foot homer, that just cleared the left field fence to start the game, Guerrero added some of his own magic. Two pitches late he launched a 394-foot blast into the Dodgers’ bullpen for a 2-0 lead. The Dodgers managed only a solo shot by Enrique Hernández in the third to cut the Blue Jay’s lead to 2-1. From there, Yesavage and two relievers shut down LA’s bats.
Springer Back and the Shadow of Joe Carter
Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced that designated hitter Springer is on track to start Game 6 in Toronto. The return of the 2017 Houston Astros’ World Series MVP could provide the boost Toronto needs to win the series. Schneider commented on Springer’s status.
“He was right on the fence.” I think he probably could have. I was really juggling what’s best for him, what’s best for the team, not just immediately to start the game, but kind of how that game may unfold too. He kind of checked every box physically so far. Just making sure he feels comfortable and confident tomorrow, and not just for one at-bat, to go in and compete and kind of get locked into a game. He was close, and he was ready to come in, and I’m glad we didn’t need him and got him an extra couple days.”
And you know long-time Blue Jays fans are thinking back to 1993 when Joe Carter’s walk-off ninth-inning three-run homer handed Toronto its second straight World Series crown. The Blue Jays brought Carter back to throw out the first pitch before Game 2. It was a feel-good moment for the entire franchise and its fans.
