Dodgers and Blue Jays talk about what makes Shohei Ohtani a special player
USA TODAY Sports interviewed members of the Dodgers and Blue Jays ahead of the World Series to discuss Shohi Ohtani’s unique talent.
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LOS ANGELES – Trey Yesavage has a very long road to reach Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s place in the Toronto Blue Jays’ pantheon of great players.
But the rookie, less than two months removed from his major league debut, and the veteran, determined to stay in Canada until the end of the next decade, teamed up for two of the best postseason runs in major league history, pushing the Blue Jays to the brink of their first World Series championship in 32 years.
Yesavage, who was promoted from Single-A to the entire minor leagues in Toronto this year, reflects the Blue Jays’ delicate rise as a powerhouse, and as the Blue Jays cruised to a 6-1 victory in Game 5 of this World Series, Dodgers Stadium He struck out 12 Los Angeles Dodgers (everyone from inevitable Hall of Famers to part-timers) over seven innings, striking out 12 in a steely inning as the Blue Jays won 6-1 in front of 52,175 spectators.
The Blue Jays will go home with the most unlikely of prizes. They lead 3-2 in the World Series and have two chances to finish off the defending champion Dodgers inside Rogers Center. It may be difficult to hear the person next to you during Game 6 on Oct. 31.
Because just a few hours earlier, the Blue Jays were losing 6-5 in the 18th inning, giving LA a 2-1 series advantage and a chance to win at home, but exited the Dodger Stadium turf the wrong way.
Instead, Guerrero hit moonshot home runs in the third inning of Game 4 and the third pitch of Game 5, the latter off Davis Schneider’s first-pitch leadoff shot off Blake Snell, tilting the series in Toronto’s favor.
What about Jesus Savage?
Now, this guy didn’t make his MLB debut until September 15th, and less than three weeks later he was the No. 2 man in the AL East champion Blue Jays’ playoff rotation.
Now, he beat the Yankees and saved Toronto’s season by defeating Seattle in Game 6 of the ALCS. And with the World Series on the line, they dominated the defending champions.
The offense had been sluggish for most of this playoff run, so manager Dave Roberts shook up the offense, putting Will Smith in the second hole, Mookie Betts in the third and Freddie Freeman in cleanup.
Anything. The quartet had great success going 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts against Yesavage, who used a great combination of fastballs, sliders, and his acclaimed split-finger fastball.
By the end of the night, Yesavage was throwing sliders 43 percent of the time, splits 29 percent and fastballs 28 percent, and his versatile usage kept the Dodgers off balance all night.
And by the time he ended the night by inducing Tommy Edman into a 5-4-3 double play to end the seventh inning, Yesavage was in the record books.
His 39 postseason strikeouts set a record for a rookie pitcher and powered past World Series winning pitchers such as Madison Bumgarner, Livan Hernandez and Fernando Valenzuela.
His postseason WHIP of 1.04 is shining proof of his ability to keep the basepaths clean. And three of the Blue Jays’ 10 wins (they only need one more to win the championship) have come in games in which he started.
What about Guerrero?
In 16 postseason games, he hit eight home runs (one every other game is a pretty good meal) and posted a .429 batting average, a .513 on-base percentage, and a cartoonish 1.370 OPS. He surpassed the great Ohtani with 15 RBIs this October.
Guerrero’s arrival in 2019 heralded a promising new era in Blue Jays baseball. The building blocks kept arriving, and the big paychecks poured in until they finally found Guerrero. It took 14 years and $500 million to become a Blue Jay for life.
But the last part turned out to be the least likely. No one expected this from Yesavage. But the Blue Jays aren’t going to question that method. It’s different when you’re just one win away from the championship.
Here’s how Game 5 will play out in Los Angeles:
In the seventh inning, Trey Yesavage set a World Series rookie record with his 12th strikeout of the night. With runners on base and one out, Yesavage had Tommy Edman hit into an inning-ending double play, sending the game into the eighth inning.
Toronto leads 5-1.
Dodgers’ Blake Snell started in the seventh inning and got two outs, but the Blue Jays replaced Edgardo Henriques with runners on first and third base. Enriquez allowed a wild pitch to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the fourth pitch, bringing in Addison Berger for an important insurance run. The next batter, Bo Bichette, hit a timely hit over right field, extending Toronto’s lead to 5-1.
Snell threw 116 pitches.
Trey Yesavage struck out Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Mookie Betts in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead going into the seventh inning, with 11 strikeouts and 89 pitches.
Trey Yesavage had 10 strikeouts through five innings in Game 5, with the Blue Jays leading 3-1 heading into the sixth inning.
Yesavage currently has 37 strikeouts in the 2025 playoffs, which is a new record for a single postseason rookie.
Dortron Valcho took the lead in the top of the fourth inning with a triple to the right-field corner, helped by an ill-timed slide from Teoscar Hernandez. He scored when the next batter, Ernie Clement, hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage had five consecutive strikeouts until Kiké Hernandez hit a solo home run into the left field seats with one out in the bottom of the third inning. The Blue Jays entered the fourth inning with a 2-1 lead.
“These games are my life,” Hernandez said before the World Series. “In life, you are put on this earth to do certain things, and for me, I feel like I was put on this earth to love my family, make people laugh, and play October baseball.”
LOS ANGELES – It’s no longer remarkable that Trey Yesavage will start “exactly” his seventh major league game this playoffs. Simply put, this guy has played a key role in the Blue Jays’ rotation and is now in position to emerge as a bona fide World Series hero.
Yesavage was strong through the first two innings of Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, striking out four consecutive batters: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman to maintain Toronto’s 2-0 lead.
Yesavage started Game 1 of this series, pitching four innings and contributing to Toronto’s eventual victory. But in Game 5, he looked like a different person, effectively blending his slider with his fastball and his infamous split-finger pitch. He dominated the eight-pitch battle with Freeman and missed a full-count slider.
LOS ANGELES – A great start to a crucial Game 5 saw the Toronto Blue Jays make World Series history with three pitches and two home runs.
Leadoff man Davis Schneider hit Blake Snell’s first pitch into the left field pavilion at Dodger Stadium, and before he could snugly put on Toronto’s iconic home run jacket, franchise player Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a 394-foot shot in the same vicinity. By the time Snell settled in, Toronto was down to two and Los Angeles was down to zero.
It was the first time in World Series history that a team led the game with back-to-back home runs. And for Guerrero, it was second in as many nights and eighth in the postseason.
Ever wonder how and why the Blue Jays put navy sport coats on the shoulders of home run batters? Well, it’s a tradition that started in 2021 and has continued ever since, a nod to the club’s multicultural makeup that continues today.
“La Gente del Barrio,” or “The Neighbors,” is a message championed by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and coach Hector LeBron starting in 2021, with LeBron enlisting a former teammate turned seamstress to create the jacket.
- Shohei Otani (L) DH
- Will Smith(R)C
- Mookie Betts(R) SS
- Freddie Freeman (left) 1B
- Teoscar Hernandez (R) RF
- Tommy Edman(S) 2B
- Max Muncy (L) 3B
- Enrique Hernandez (R) CF
- Alex Cole (R) LF
- Davis Schneider (R) LF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
- Beau Bichette (R) DH
- Alejandro Kirk (R) C
- Dalton Varsho (left) CF
- Ernie Clement(R) 3B
- Addison Berger (L) RF
- Isaiah Kinner Children(R) 2B
- Andres Jimenez (left) SS
- bob nightengale: Dodgers 4, Blue Jays 3
- Gabe Lux: Dodgers 4, Blue Jays 1
- Jesse Yomtov: Dodgers 7, Blue Jays 3
- steve gardner: Dodgers 7, Blue Jays 2
- Simulation series: Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 4
LOS ANGELES — These Blue Jays could be historic. They are already completely convinced that they are special.
“I think it’s a quote from Herb Brooks,” said third baseman Ernie Clement, referring to the man who led the 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team to an impressive gold medal. “But we’re a team of extraordinary guys. I think any normal team would have been crushed today.
“And we’re not normal. I think we’re the best team in baseball. We got out of bed with our hair on fire and got ready to play.” — Gabe Lux
LOS ANGELES — George Springer is once again running out of time to make a comeback this World Series.
Springer was removed from the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup for Game 5, missing his second consecutive game after leaving Game 3 with a right side injury on a trapeze.
If he misses Game 5, it will take two more days for Springer’s disease to heal. But time is running out for him, too.
Before announcing his lineup for Game 5, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Springer had made “significant progress” in the past 24 hours and suggested he could come off the bench.
Dodgers Game 5 starting pitcher Blake Snell will be in his first year in Los Angeles after signing a $182 million free agent contract. The left-handed pitcher lost the first game of the World Series, allowing five earned runs in the fifth inning.
- 2025 Regular Season: Started 11 games, 5 wins, 4 losses, ERA 2.35
- 2025 Postseason: 3 wins, 1 loss, ERA 2.42 in 4 starts, 36 strikeouts in 26 innings, WHIP 0.85
- 2025 Postseason Statistics: Average .419 (26 out of 62), 7 HR, 14 RBI, 1.306 OPS
- 2025 World Series Statistics: .368 (7/19), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1.004 OPS
world series schedule 2025
- Game 1: Blue Jays 11, Dodgers 4
- Game 2: Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 1
- Game 3: Dodgers 6, Blue Jays 5 (18 innings)
- Game 4: Blue Jays 6, Dodgers 2
- Game 5: October 29, Los Angeles – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PDT
- Game 6: October 31, Toronto – 8pm ET/5pm PDT
- Game 7: (if required): November 1, Toronto – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PDT
World Series Winners (by year)
- 2024: Dodgers
- 2023: Rangers
- 2022: Astros
- 2021: Braves
- 2020: Dodgers
- 2019: Nationals
- 2018: Red Sox
- 2017: Astros
- 2016: Cubs
- 2015: Royals
- 2014: Giants
- 2013: Red Sox
- 2012: Giants
- 2011: Cardinals
- 2010: Giants
Game 5 of the 2025 World Series will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Fall Classic returns to Toronto’s Rogers Center with Game 6 on Friday and Game 7 on Saturday if necessary.
2025 World Series Announcer
- Joe Davis, commentary
- John Smoltz, color commentary
- Rosenthal and Tom Verdolucci, dugout reporter
world series umpire
Here’s how the umpires will line up for Game 5 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
- home plate:Alan Porter
- first base: Jordan Baker
- second base:Will Little
- third base: Adrian Johnson
- left field: Mark Wegner (crew chief)
- light field: John Tampain
- make a reservation:Adam Hamari
Game 3 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays ended just before midnight Pacific Time (3 a.m. Eastern Time).
Game 5 of the World Series is Wednesday, October 29th
- time: 8pm ET
- Expected starters: Blake Snell (LAD) vs. Trey Yesavage (TOR)
- tv set: fox
- stream: Watch this match on Fubo (Regional restrictions may apply)
