Blue Jays On the Brink of Glory After Rookie Phenom Dominates Los Angeles in Fifth Match
Yesavage authored a masterclass on the mound and Davis Schneider launched a home run on the game's initial offering as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6–1 on Wednesday, standing one win away of their first World Series championship since 1993.
Yesavage's Historic Outing
The young 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 rookie right-hander gave up only a single run on three hits in seven innings. He began the year pitching before a few hundred fans in Class A ball, but has now been the winning pitcher in two of Toronto's three wins in this best-of-seven series.
A Quick Start for Toronto
Toronto’s hitters gave him breathing room almost immediately. On the first pitch of the game, Schneider turned on a 97mph fastball and homered to left field. Just moments later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr followed with another blast to almost the exact same place. It marked the unprecedented occurrence in the World Series that consecutive home runs opened a game, leaving the audience in awe before most had found their seats.
Yesavage Takes Control
Yesavage then assumed command. He fanned five in a row between the second and third innings, breaking a rookie pitching record before the streak was snapped by Kiké Hernández with a solo homer in the bottom of the third to make it 2–1. That was as close as Los Angeles would get.
Extending the Lead
In the fourth, Daulton Varsho tripled down the right-field line after a misplay, and Clement delivered a sacrifice fly to plate the run for a 3–1 lead. The Dodgers' bats remained quiet from there. After scoring six runs in Monday’s 18-inning marathon, they’ve scored a mere four times in nearly 30 innings.
Seventh-Inning Rally
The Dodgers starter lasted into the seventh inning but couldn’t escape the seventh after the Blue Jays loaded the bases. The two inherited runners scored – via a wild pitch and one more on a base hit – to push the lead to four runs. A single in the eighth provided the last run.
Relievers Seal the Deal
Yesavage was cheered off the field from the traveling fans, and the pen closed it out. The late-inning pitchers each worked a scoreless inning to close it out, recording three strikeouts together while maintaining the stellar start.
Dodgers' Lineup Shuffle Falters
The Dodgers, who rearranged their batting order in search of a spark, again struggled to get going. Their key batter went hitless in four at-bats and is now hitless in seven at-bats since setting a World Series on-base record in Game 3.
Looking Ahead to Game 6
Now leading the series three games to two, Toronto return home with two games to secure the title. Game 6 is Friday night at their home field.