LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The Toronto Blue Jays moved within one win of their first World Series title in over three decades on Wednesday, riding a dazzling performance from rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage and an explosive start at the plate to a 6–1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 22-year-old Yesavage was nothing short of sensational, setting a new World Series rookie record with 12 strikeouts, breaking a mark that had stood since 1949.
The right-hander struck out every Dodger in the lineup at
least once and limited Los Angeles to three hits across seven innings with zero walks, continuing a breakout season.
The Blue Jays made a dream start as Davis Schneider homered on the very first pitch from Los Angeles starter Blake Snell, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr followed with another blast two pitches later.
It marked the first time in World Series history that a team opened a game with back-to-back home runs, while Guerrero Jr tied the record for the second-most postseason homers in MLB history with his eighth round-tripper.
Kike Hernandez put the Dodgers on the scoreboard in the third, blasting a solo shot off Yesavage to reignite the home crowd with his first homer of the postseason.
But Toronto quickly responded in the top of the fourth, when Daulton Varsho tripled on a liner to right after a risky play by Teoscar Hernandez and then scored on Ernie Clement’s sacrifice fly to restore the two-run lead.
Snell laboured through the early damage and lasted into the seventh, throwing 116 pitches, the third-most of his career, before departing with two on and two outs and after throwing two wild pitches, the second of which advanced Addison Barger to third base and walked Andres Gimenez.
Reliever Edgardo Henriquez inherited the jam and the inning unravelled as he threw a wild pitch to Guerrero Jr that allowed Barger to score and make it 4–1. Bo Bichette followed with a single to right that brought in Gimenez, extending Toronto's lead to 5–1.
Toronto tacked on another run in the eighth as Ernie Clement singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch from Anthony Banda, and scored from third on a single from Isiah Kiner-Falefa to make it 6–1, prompting boos from the Dodger Stadium crowd.
The Dodgers went quietly in the final two frames, with Shohei Ohtani lining out with a runner on first base to end the eighth inning, while Mookie Betts flied out, and Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez struck out in the ninth.
DODGERS IN SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Yesavage but expressed frustration with missed opportunities and the team's offensive struggles.
"Giving up bases changes the lineup, and it affects the game going forward," Roberts told reporters. "Blake pitched a heck of a ball game, but giving up bases and not converting outs came back to bite us tonight… right now, we're at elimination, and we've got to wipe the slate clean and find a way to win game six."
"We're not doing a good job. We have to make adjustments, come in fresh, and compete. That's all we can do."
On Yesavage's outing, he added: "A lot of poise. No panic. The way he performed, pretty impressive."
Blue Jays manager John Schneider also lauded his rookie star.
"Historic stuff. His slider and split were electric. Tonight he was in the zone, getting swing-and-miss," he said.
The Blue Jays return home with a 3–2 series lead, starting Kevin Gausman against Yoshinobu Yamamoto - and Ohtani as a probable reliever for the first time - in a potential championship-clinching Game Six, their first shot at a World Series title since 1993.
"To give the ball to Kevin Gausman for Game 6 feels great," Schneider added. "It's another tough matchup with Yamamoto, but this was a very good team win."
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
