Well, we’ve made it. This is the final series of the season to determine the champs. The Los Angeles Dodgers visit the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 to begin the journey toward the trophy.
You can view the
series preview here.
With the Blue Jays, the primary area of uncertainty was Bo Bichette. Well, that uncertainty has been resolved, at least for Game 1. He is slotted to hit cleanup and play second base. He has never played second base in the majors. Across various minor league levels in 2016-2019, he played a total of 262.1 innings at second base. It’s a curious choice. Putting Bichette in the field frees up the DH spot, and the Blue Jays have decided to put George Springer there and Myles Straw out in RF. Straw has spent most of his time in center; he’s played all of 71 innings in RF in the majors.
I don’t think there are any surprises in the Dodgers lineup.
Blake Snell starts for the Dodgers. He was dominant in the regular season, and he’s been even stronger in the postseason. He’s given up only two runs in 21 innings, with 28 strikeouts. He’ll present a tough challenge for the Blue Jays hitters
Trey Yesavage starts for the Blue Jays. This guy was drafted just last year. He was in Double-A as recently as August 8th and High-A as recently as June 6th. And now he’s starting Game 1 of the first Toronto World Series since 1993. Yesavage was born 10 years later. He’s given up seven runs in 15 innings in this postseason, with most of those coming in ALCS Game 2. Given his light history and small sample size of development, I think there’s a lot of uncertainty starting him against a powerhouse lineup. Kevin Gausman’s their best guy but it sounds like he’d be on regular rest for Game 2, if he starts that game.
Gametime: 7pm US Central
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto ON
How to Watch: FOX
How to Listen: ESPN Radio
Lineups:
