Blue Jays On the Brink of Victory After Yesavage Dominates Los Angeles in Game 5

Yesavage authored a masterclass on the mound and Davis Schneider homered on the very first pitch as the Blue Jays topped the Los Angeles Dodgers six to one on Wednesday, standing one win away of their first title since 1993.

Yesavage's Historic Outing

The 22-year-old Yesavage, who debuted in the majors this past September, recorded 12 strikeouts and zero walks – the first pitcher in World Series history to do so. The first-year pitcher allowed one run on three hits across seven innings. His year commenced in the low minors with minimal fanfare, but has now been the winning pitcher in two of Toronto's three wins in this seven-game set.

A Quick Start for Toronto

Toronto’s hitters gave him breathing room almost immediately. On the first pitch of the game, Schneider drilled a 97-mile-per-hour heater and sent it over the left-field fence. Immediately after, Vladimir Guerrero Jr homered as well to a similar location. It marked the unprecedented occurrence in the World Series that the game began with two straight homers, shocking the spectators before most had settled in.

Yesavage Takes Control

Yesavage then went to work. He struck out five consecutive batters between the second and third innings, setting a rookie record before Kiké Hernández finally broke the streak with a solo homer in the third inning to make it 2–1. That was the nearest the Dodgers came.

Building the Advantage

In the fourth, Daulton Varsho smacked a triple to right field after a fielding error, and Clement delivered a sacrifice fly to plate the run for a 3–1 lead. The Los Angeles offense continued to sputter from there. After managing six runs in a lengthy extra-inning contest, they’ve scored a mere four times in nearly 30 innings.

Seventh-Inning Rally

The starting pitcher battled through six and two-thirds innings but was chased in the seventh after the bases became full. Both runners he left behind came around to score – via a wild pitch and another on an RBI single – to extend the lead to 5–1. A hit in the eighth provided the final margin.

Bullpen Secures the Win

Yesavage received a standing ovation upon leaving from the Toronto faithful, and the pen closed it out. The bullpen arms each pitched an inning without allowing a run to end the game, recording three strikeouts together while preserving the rookie’s masterpiece.

Offensive Woes Continue

The Dodgers, who rearranged their batting order in search of a spark, again couldn't find momentum. Their top hitter went without a hit in four trips and is now hitless in seven at-bats since reaching base a World Series-record nine times in the third game.

Looking Ahead to Game 6

Now up 3–2, Toronto return home with two opportunities to win it all. Game 6 is Friday night at their home field.

Anthony Robbins
Anthony Robbins

A tech-savvy journalist passionate about digital trends and storytelling, with a background in media and communications.