The Toronto Blue Jays are now just one win away from claiming their first World Series title since 1993 after winning two out of three games in Los Angeles. Coming off the back of the 18-inning heartbreak of game 3, Toronto bounced back with back-to-back wins thanks to two quality starts from trade deadline acquisition Shane Bieber and rookie sensation Trey Yesavage.
Bieber out-duelled Shohei Ohtani on the mound in Game Four, giving up just one run in five innings against the high-powered Dodgers offence. A two-run homer from Vladimir Guerrero Jr in the third inning followed by four runs from the Jays offence in the seventh put them out of sight, with the game finishing 6-2 and tying the series at 2-2.
Trey Yesavage then outshone his former Cy Young-winning teammate the following night. Yesavage set a new record for strikeouts by a rookie pitcher in a World Series game with 12, pitching seven innings and allowing only one Dodgers run. Yesavage was fortunate enough to be pitching with a lead for his entire start, after Davis Schneider and Guerrero hit back-to-back home runs to start Game Five. The Jays offence continued to pile it on, with six RBIs from six different players giving them a dominant 6-1 victory.
With the series now headed back to Toronto for Game Six and, if required, Game Seven, the Jays have the chance to win the championship on Canadian soil. Fans were queuing out the door at Rogers Centre yesterday in spite of the rainto get themselves kitted out for the final push, hoping their team can bring the trophy back to Toronto. Jays fan and Toronto native Aidan Weeks is incredibly excited by the prospect of a Jays World Series win and what it could mean for the city. “The energy in Toronto right now… I’ve never seen anything like it. To have the last two games of the World Series take place here, that’s super special, and I’m grateful I get to be here when it happens,” Weeks said.
Should the Jays manage to win the last game of the season, the city will have it’s first ‘big four’ sport championship since 2019, when the Raptors won the NBA Finals. However, one more win against this Dodgers team is easier said than done. Friday night’s game will see a pitching rematch between Kevin Gausman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto pitched a complete game in Game Two, allowing only four hits and one run in a dominant display, his second complete game in the postseason. Yamamoto will be hoping to haunt Rogers Centre again on Halloween night, and should it go to Game Seven, Toronto will turn to 41-year-old Max Scherzer for the final game.
Blue Jays fan Gavin Newlands is confident that his team can get it done. “Not to jinx it, but I’m confident they’ll get it done… especially given that they’re in Toronto,” Newlands said. All eyes in Toronto and across Canada will be on the Rogers Centre tonight, with first pitch set to be thrown at 8pm.
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