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 — No one from this team was in Toronto to see it. Although most of them were not yet born, those magical and enchanting images are still etched in their minds.
Joe Carter dancing around the bass.
Dave Stewart’s menacing gaze on the mound.
DH Paul Molitor’s powerful bat.
For the first time in 32 years, the Toronto Blue Jays had the opportunity to create their own history, one that will leave a memory behind for the next generation of Blue Jays fans and ensure that it will forever be remembered as one of the greatest upsets in World Series history.
“Nobody gave us a chance all year, so nothing has changed,” Blue Jays veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman told USA TODAY Sports. “We’ve learned to block out what people think about us, good or bad. What people write about us, what people say about us, it doesn’t really matter.
“You’ll see what people say when it’s over.”
The Blue Jays, who suffered the most gut-wrenching loss in World Series history just 48 hours earlier, waltzed out of the visiting Dodger Stadium clubhouse Wednesday night, never in their lives had they wanted to take a six-hour flight more.
With the help of a 22-year-old pitcher and a relentless attack, the Blue Jays overwhelmed the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1, leaving them one win away from becoming World Series champions.
After back-to-back wins in Los Angeles and a 3-2 lead over the defending champion and much-touted Dodgers, the Blue Jays will play Game 6 at Rogers Center for the first time since the glorious night of Oct. 23, 1993, when Carter hit the World Series-clinching home run.
“I’ve seen it a thousand times,” Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Varsho said. “But Joe even told us, ‘Just go out there and win, and then you don’t have to come here and keep doing this.'” It was kind of funny.
“Obviously he’s enjoying the moment and enjoying everything, but this is our time.”
On back-to-back nights, the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers, winning by a combined score of 12-3. The Dodgers’ offense was shut down by veteran Shane Bieber and the next night by Trey Yesavage, a 22-year-old kid who was the season-opening pitcher in Class A.
“Baseball is a game of failure. You know you’re going to fail at some point,” Blue Jays reliever Eric Lauer said. “It’s all about how well you react after you get punched in the mouth. We took the punch, and we punched right back.”
Yesavage did most of the hitting, striking out 12 batters in seven innings. This is the most by a pitcher under the age of 22 in World Series history, surpassing Smokey Joe Wood in the 1912 World Series.
The Dodgers had 15 strikeouts, just one walk and four hits on Wednesday, and are batting .164 without a single hit with a runner in scoring position since the 18th inning win.
“Right now it seems like the at-bats are just snowballing,” Dodgers outfielder Quique Hernandez said. He scored his only points with a home run in the third inning.
The Blue Jays, who won the American League East in a tiebreaker on the final day, avoided elimination twice, and defeated the Seattle Mariners to clinch the American League pennant, suddenly turned this World Series on its head.
The Dodgers are desperately shuffling their batting lineup in an attempt to find a cure.
The Dodgers and their four future Hall of Famers are suddenly muttering to themselves about what just happened.
And it’s the Blue Jays, a beloved character north of the border, who are turning Toronto into a baseball utopia.
They live close to each other near the city’s Rogers Center, their families spend time together off the field, and they have insisted all year that they believe in each other.
Now, they are trusted by the entire baseball world.
Just when it looked like the team was going to collapse after an 18-inning loss, it brought them together and said they couldn’t have played any better, yet they continued to work with the Dodgers throughout that grueling time.
“At the end of the day, it was just a loss,” Blue Jays DH Bo Bichette said. “So I had no choice but to turn the page.”
“It was tough, but we were so proud of each other. We went toe-to-toe with them for 18 innings. Everybody was passionate about it. We knew if we just came back and played our game, we could win,” Scherzer said.
Varsho said, “We didn’t play well at all, but we absolutely crushed them day and night. They came out on top, but you know, we actually felt good about it. We played awful and were hanging right there with them.”
Now, 48 hours later, they feel on top of the world, believe they are the best team in North America, and are going to prove it.
“That’s the way our team is,” Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt said. “We can flash wins, we can flash losses, and we can move forward. We’ve done that all year. Just move forward. We’re not going to ride crazy highs and lows. It’s just a brand of baseball that we take great pride in, and we’re focused every day on maintaining that brand.”
They lost George Springer and Davis Schneider stepped up and hit the first pitch of the game for a home run. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, who played second base due to a bruised knee from Bichette, played perfect defense and scored in the ninth inning.
“I don’t think it’s that complicated,” Bichette said. “We just believed in ourselves, believed in each other and tried our best to give it our all.”
And of course, there’s a kid named Yesavage who was in the minor leagues three weeks before the playoffs, earned a spot in the rotation, and now looks like the second coming of Bob Gibson.
“Everyone in the game is going to look stupid when he comes out,” said Blue Jays veteran starter Max Scherzer, 41, who is close in age to Yesavage’s father.
Yes, the same people who were talking about a dynasty before the World Series and believed the Blue Jays had no chance against the Dodgers are now trying to figure out what hit them.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the only well-known name in this blue-collar group. Shane Bieber was acquired at the trade deadline while still recovering from Tommy John surgery. And closer Jeff Hoffman had two physical failures in the offseason before signing with the Blue Jays.
Somehow, somehow, manager John Schneider successfully combined all these elements.
“I don’t know, but it’s weird,” Bichette said. “No matter who walks into this locker room, everyone believes in them. I don’t know how to explain it.
“Really, who could?”
Well, Lauer decided to give it a try.
“Everybody just goes out there and does their job and makes sure they give their best effort every day,” Lauer said. I think one of the coolest things about this team is that everyone can feel it.
“I can make sure that everyone in the clubhouse and everyone on the field is pulling for me and holding me accountable.
“After all, we love spending time together.”
Toronto has always been one of the most beautiful cities in North America, and it’s a franchise packed with money and luxury facilities. But for years, they have always been bridesmaids to free agents. Shohei Otani left them trembling at the altar. The same was true for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. And Roki Sasaki. And Pete Alonso. The list is endless.
Now, if they were to hang a new World Series pennant in the rafters, Toronto could become a destination for free agents eager to play for a winner.
“Over the past five years, we’ve been involved with just about everyone,” Gausman said. “We’ve been involved with all the big names since I’ve been here, so I hope everyone is paying attention to us now.”
“This series has been great for baseball. Toronto is an unbelievable market. An unbelievable place to play. And as we’ve seen the last few games, it’s a crazy environment.”
“So why don’t you want to play there too?”
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