Trey Yesavage’s Big Outing Sends Toronto Blue Jays Home With Chance To Win World Series

Trey Yesavage struck out every batter at least once on the way to 12 strikeouts in seven innings and the scene of Shohei Ohtani flailing at a pitch while his helmet fell off and his left knee was hovering over the dirt seemed to encapsulate how things unfolded for the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday.

Because of things like Ohtani’s flail in the third inning of Game 5, the Blue Jays are one win away from a World Series title with two chances at home to win once after Yesavage set a record with the most strikeouts by a rookie in a World Series game, eclipsing Don Newcombe’s 11 strikeouts in 1949 for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Yankees

The three games to two lead is coveted since 67 percent of the teams who achieve it eventually win the World Series. The most recent is the Houston Astros in 2022, who were blanked in Game 3 in Philadelphia, evened the series with Cristian Javier’s second combined no-hitter the following night and won their second title in six games.

The Astros’ situation is similar to what the Blue Jays are facing on Friday just without the insanely compelling 18-inning loss. The Dodgers seemingly were well-positioned with Ohtani and Blake Snell the next two nights, but an aging offense went a combined 10-for-61 in games started by Max Scherzer and Yesavage.

Being in this situation with three wins through five and going home with a chance to secure a title is not necessarily guaranteed though the Blue Jays did it in 1993.

Since Joe Carter’s homer off Mitch Williams ended the final Fall Classic of the two division era, teams with a 3-2 lead and returning home encountered mixed results.

One team in that spot unable to get it done were the 2019 Astros in a seven-game series where the road team won every time. Those Astros were one win away after scoring the Nationals 19-3 in Games 3-5 but lost in Game 6 and were nine outs away before allowing six runs.

Six years earlier, the Red Sox won their third World Series since ending their 86-year drought by being in the same situation as the Blue Jays. After losing Game 3, Jonny Gomes hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 4 in St. Louis, the Red Sox won Game 5 and comfortably clinched the series at home.

Other teams to be in the same spot of losing Game 3 on the road to fall behind two games to one, win the next two and clinch the series at home are the 1964 Cardinals, who lost Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on a game-ending homer by Mickey Mantle. The Cardinals won a one-run game in Game 4 and scored three in the 10th in Game 5 and eventually won the series in seven after being six outs away from winning in Game 6.

The bottom line is the Blue Jays are in the coveted spot while the pressure is squarely on the Dodgers, who will play Game 6 one year and one day after capitalizing on the Yankees’ mistakes in a five-run rally to win Game 5 and earn the right to celebrate deep into the night in an opposing ballpark.

Whether or not the Dodgers can win two road elimination games like the 2019 Nationals or the 2016 Cubs is the biggest unknown.

After quickly regrouping from being on the wrong side of an all-time World Series game, nearly everything broke Toronto’s way. Perhaps the biggest was holding comfortable enough leads to avoid using George Springer in a pinch hitting situation after the leadoff man tweaked his side Monday.

Springer got an extra few days to rest because among the things going their way was Davis Schneider hitting the first pitch over the left field fence and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doing the same on the third pitch.

Another was Addison Barger, who made a diving catch in right field in an inning he often would be replaced defensively by Nathan Lukes shifting over from left field. And to add to his memorable series, he singled and scored when the Dodgers committed three wild pitches.

Still those things going right along with the historic achievement by Yesavage put the Blue Jays on the verge of winning a series they were not expected to win with Yoshinobu Yamamoto looming.

“There’s seven games for a reason,” Schneider said two nights after being thrown out at home plate in the 10^th inning. “You got to win four of ’em. And they’re a good ball club over there. You can’t really take ’em lightly. Yamamoto is going to pitch Friday. He’s such a good pitcher, so you can’t really take anything for granted. And baseball’s a funny game. You never know what you’re going to see that day, and we just got to win one more and hopefully we don’t have to go to Game 7.

Based on recency, the Dodgers seemingly hold the edge with Yamamoto on the mound since he threw a four-hitter for his second complete game of the postseason. Both of those were not in a back against the wall situation on the road with an opponent trying to win it all for a major city and an entire country.

“We’ve got to kind of wipe the slate clean and find a way to win Game 6 and pick up the pieces and see where we’re at,” Dave Roberts said in a perfect summation for those working on preview material.