Blue Jays Dominate Dodgers in Game 5, Take Series Lead Behind Stellar Yesavage Performance
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Toronto Blue Jays seized a 3-2 series โฃlead in the World Series with a commanding 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 on Wednesday night.A โขhistoric start,โ fueled by back-to-backโค home runs,โค and a dominant pitchingโค performance from rookie Bobby Yesavage propelled the Blue Jays to within one win โฃof their first championship since 1993.
Toronto exploded in the first inning,โ with โคDavis Schneider launching a leadoff home run on the very first pitch from Dodgers starter Blake Snell. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed immediately with โanother โคhome run,โค marking the first time in World โฃSeries history a teamโ has opened a game with consecutive blasts. guerrero Jr.’s home run also โคtied the record for โฃthe second-moast postseason home runs inโ MLB history,โ withโข his eighth.
Yesavage, making a crucial start, deliveredโข seven walklessโ innings, stifling the Dodgers’ offense. Blue Jays manager John Schneider โคlauded the rookie, stating, “Ancient stuff.โฃ His slider โขand split were electric. He was โin the zone tonight, getting swing-and-misses.”
The Dodgers โmanaged โto get on the board inโข the third inning when Kike Hernandez hit a solo home run off Yesavage, briefly energizing the Dodger Stadium crowd. Though, Torontoโค quickly responded in the fourth. Daultonโฃ Varsho tripled on a line drive to right field – following a risky play by Teoscar Hernandez – andโ scored on โErnie โClement’s sacrifice fly, restoring a โคtwo-run lead.
Snell, despiteโข the early damage,โ battled through seven innings, throwing 116โ pitches โค- the third-most of his career – โคbefore exiting with runners on base. โreliever โขEdgardo Henriquez inherited a jam and ultimately allowed aโ run to score on a wild pitch, extending Toronto’s lead to 4-1.bo Bichette โthenโค singled to right, bringingโข in another run and making it โ5-1.
Toronto added another run in the eighth inning, with Clement singling and scoring on a single โby Isiah Kiner-Falefa,โค pushing the score to 6-1 and drawing boos fromโ the home crowd.
While Freddieโข Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez hit solo home runs โin theโ ninth, the Dodgers’ โคlate rallyโ proved insufficient.Shohei Ohtani fielded a runner at first base to end the eighth.
Dodgersโ managerโ Dave Roberts โขacknowledged his team’s struggles.”Giving up the basics changes the lineup โฃand affectsโค the game going forward,” Roberts told reporters. “Blakeโค pitched aโฃ really great game, but giving up bases and not converting outsโข came back to haunt usโ tonightโฆ right now, we’re in the elimination game, and we need to wipe the slate clean and find a โฃwayโ to win game six.” โขHe added, “We’re โคnot doing a good job. We have toโข make adjustments, come in fresh and compete. That’s all we can โdo.” Roberts alsoโข praised Yesavage,calling his performanceโ “very poiseโฆ No panicโฆ very remarkable.”
Game 6 is scheduled for Toronto, with Kevin Gausman set to start for the Blueโ Jays against Yoshinobu Yamamotoโข for the Dodgers – with Ohtani likely to beโ used as a reliever.โ A Blue Jays victory would secure their first World Series title in threeโค decades. Schneider expressed confidence, saying, “Giving the ball to Kevin โคGausman for Game 6 is awesome. It’s another โtough match with Yamamoto, but โit was a great teamโค win.”