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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TORONTO – It’s an undeniable and jarring change, and to survive this World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays will have to pretend it doesn’t exist.
On a recent night, the Rogers Center crowd was roaring, nine runs crossed the plate in one inning, the bass of the home clubhouse echoed through the lower floors of this historic facility, and fog machines and blue lights framed the giddy afterglow of a World Series victory in Game 1.
And 24 hours later, in a clubhouse so quiet you could hear the visiting team’s screams as the ball went over the fence, suitcases were zipped, bags were packed and planes were ready for a cross-continental trip that might end in a disappointing season.
But the Blue Jays are professionals.
They say they are paid dearly for the distinction, or the assertion, that one night Toronto 11, Los Angeles 4, the next night Los Angeles 5, Toronto 1 is no different than winning then losing that August weekend in Kansas City.
“Just don’t keep your head down,” said Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the team player who momentarily interrupted Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s generational great pitching performance with a 114 mph loaded ball in Game 2.
“We’re the type of team that never gives up.”
Of course, we have no intention of giving up on this World Series with a 1-1 tie. The math says both teams have an equal chance to win, but three of the finals are scheduled for Dodger Stadium, and unless one team wins all three games in LA, Games 6 and 7 will likely be played there.
But reality suggests that the Blue Jays have a very difficult road ahead.
Let’s count backwards. If this series reaches Game 6, Yamamoto will be waiting for them again and likely have a chance to clinch the series.
Yes, it’s the same Yamamoto who pitched back-to-back complete games in the postseason for the first time since 2001, as if this game were broadcast on Super 8 instead of HD.
He struck out the last 20 batters of a very good Blue Jays batting lineup and led the Dodgers to seven wins in eight starts in two postseasons.
Game 5 will likely be a rematch of Game 1, pitting rookie Trey Yesavage against Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell. Blake Snell will be able to learn from his mistakes in Game 1 and go deeper next game, avoiding the Blue Jays’ conga line that throws a basepath party against the Dodgers’ bullpen.
Now, let’s move on to the world icons of Los Angeles’ notable players, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber, versus Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani. Experience and cunning and purity and transcendent two-way talent.
Dodgers, advantage?
probably. We are contractually obligated to note that what could happen is that the 41-year-old Scherzer could find a competitive edge in Game 4 of the ALCS against a Seattle Mariners lineup that is far inferior to the Dodgers. His body won’t fail him, as it did in his last World Series start in Game 3 against the Texas Rangers in 2023.
And the Bieber will look more like the man who turned the ALCS around by pitching six innings against Seattle. And in the decisive Game 7, it wasn’t the Blue Jays who couldn’t pitch a complete game through four innings, but was saved by an impressive relief relay by everyone.
As the World Series approached, the Blue Jays made adjustments. Game 3 was Mad Max, making him available for Game 7, his second such assignment in six years. After all, Bieber is only 18 months removed from Tommy John surgery.
This is very often a case of “what if” or “let’s try” as opposed to the Dodgers saying, “I’m going to throw Glasnow and Ohtani 100 mph fastballs that often overwhelm them at 6-8. Good luck.”
This is a rather troubling turn of events, considering the Blue Jays were tied 1-1 in the top of the seventh inning of Game 2 and were deliciously close to putting the Dodgers’ stinking bullpen back into the equation.
Still, Yamamoto demanded perfection from Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman. With the exception of two pitches to Dodgers catcher Will Smith, he virtually did. The quiet Kentucky native hit an RBI hit in the first inning and the game-winning home run in the seventh inning.
It was a really tough beat considering Gausman was pretty much on par with Yamamoto (who suddenly became the generational great postseason pitcher).
“It was so fast, back and forth,” Gausman said of how he and Yamamoto used fewer than 14 pitches each time from the second to the sixth innings. “Neither one of us gave ourselves much of a break. We just kept going back and forth. That’s what it’s like in a pitcher’s game. You know, you’re trying to do your job. That’s what it’s like in a pitcher’s game.”
“Obviously, I wish I could have had a nine-run inning like I had yesterday. But that’s the reality of good pitching.”
This tends to win against good strikes. That said, the contact-oriented and power-packed Blue Jays aren’t your typical lineup. Granted, you can’t usually hold it down for long, and when you put the ball in play, really good things happen.
So their next get-together story in the aftermath of War II doesn’t sound like much of a deal.
“The important thing is to understand that the other team is there because of who they are,” said leadoff man George Springer, who twice played seven World Series games with the Houston Astros and received split calls. “Again, it’s important for us to understand that it’s not just easy.
“I think every team at this point understands that.”
And they also understand that what’s written on paper doesn’t really matter. After 175 games in the regular season and playoffs, the Blue Jays are a special team, a very talented team, and often a very strong team based on Game 1.
It’s just that a change in the weather, with a zero percent chance of a smoke generator going off in the clubhouse after the game, could turn the World Series narrative on its head so quickly.
To California.
“This time of year, obviously every pitch is more important,” said closer Jeff Hoffman, who made his World Series debut in the ninth inning.
“We’ve done a really good job of sticking to our game plan, staying immersed in it and not letting outside noise affect us.”
Come Monday, the noise outside will be very loud. In Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, there will be a chance to overturn the disadvantageous situation faster than Yamamoto’s fastball.
