Blue Jays manager says pitcher Yesavage is raising the team’s ceiling.
After a dominant performance that brought the Blue Jays to the brink of a championship, Schneider praised Yesavage’s influence.
TORONTO — A year ago, John Schneider spent Halloween night in his lawn chair, drinking beer and watching kids trick-or-treating in his neighbor’s driveway. I’m not really interested in Halloween.
“In any case, I think this is a substitute holiday.”
This year, the Toronto Blue Jays manager will be competing for something more realistic: the team’s first World Series championship since 1993.
Yes, life has changed a lot for the Blue Jays over the past year, but after nine innings (or more) of Game 6 of the World Series, they may be changed forever. Standing in their way are defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Blue Jays ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has pitched consecutive complete games, including a Game 2 win for Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman.
They are scheduled to play that game at the Rogers Center, but outside, hundreds of Toronto police officers are “in full force” for what is sure to be a chaotic event.
The Dodgers are just hoping to have their lineup together again for Game 7. With that in mind, manager Dave Roberts once again adjusted his lineup, putting Tommy Edman in center field and starting Miguel Rojas at second base, once again knocking Mookie Betts from second to third to fourth in just three games as the former MVP battles a 23-3 cooler in this World Series.
Is it a meaningless trick or a reward for the Dodgers going into Game 7? Stay tuned.
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Game 6 of the World Series will be broadcast on Fox and available to stream on Fubo.
Watch the World Series live on Fubo
Yoshinobu Yamamoto had one out and one base hit by Nathan Rooks, but an error by third baseman Max Muncy should have scored him, but he hit Vladimir Guerrero Jr. into an inning-ending double play, sending the game scoreless into the second inning.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Guzman struck out Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman in the first inning.
Gausman threw 16 pitches on target, 11 of which were strikes.
TORONTO — George Springer won’t let the Toronto Blue Jays’ chance to win their first World Series since 1993 pass away. After leaving Game 3 of the World Series with a right side injury on a swing, Springer returned to the top of Toronto’s lineup for Game 6.
The Blue Jays came back from a 2-1 deficit to lead the World Series 3-2 without him. Still, Springer’s accomplishments in the playoffs (.884 OPS, four home runs, including the first three runs in Game 7 of the ALCS) were not forgotten by his teammates.
“What he brought to this team during the playoffs was huge for us. I think having him in the lineup probably calms us all down a little bit,” infielder Bo Bichette said before Game 6.
TORONTO — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts knows the importance and consequences of Friday’s World Series game.
A win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night (8 p.m. ET on FOX) extended the season with a Game 7 at Rogers Center.
They lose and the season ends abruptly. And, fair or not, that is considered a failure.
This is how it works when you have the highest salary, one of the most talented players in the game, and are the heavy favorite to become a repeat World Series champion. – Bob Nightengale
TORONTO – One of the top two iconic franchises in the game, featuring international superstars and competing against Canada’s only Major League Baseball club. The match generated viewing metrics that ranged from pleasant surprise to universally enriching.
For Major League Baseball, this matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays was a worldwide hit, with historic performances from the unparalleled Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the Blue Jays’ presence captivating Toronto and all of Canada like never before.
Game 1 averaged 32.6 million viewers in the United States, Canada and Japan, the most viewers since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. And the combined attendance for Games 1 and 2 in the U.S. and Canada was 19.8 million, an increase of 24% from last season and the highest since the Cubs’ historic 2016 game against Cleveland. — Gabe Lux
TORONTO — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers’ biggest pitching star, will start Friday in an effort to save the season and is just trying to become just the fourth pitcher in history to pitch three complete games in one postseason.
If he throws a four-hit complete game in Game 2, pitching like he did when he retired the last 20 batters of a World Series game for the first time since Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956, he could book a Game 7.
“Well, I hope he’s a little tired, but he’s pitched that many innings,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He’s unique because he’s got what I think are six or seven pitches and can transform into different pitchers as the game goes on.” — Bob Nightengale
- Shohei Otani (L) DH
- Will Smith(R)C
- Freddie Freeman (left) 1B
- Mookie Betts(R) SS
- Teoscar Hernandez (R) RF
- Max Muncy (L) 3B
- Enrique Hernandez (R) LF
- Tommy Edman(S) CF
- Miguel Rojas(R) 2B
- George Springer (R) DH
- Nathan Rooks (left) LF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
- Beau Bichette (R) 2B
- Dalton Varsho (left) CF
- Alejandro Kirk (R) C
- Addison Berger (L) RF
- Ernie Clement(R) 3B
- Andres Jimenez (left) SS
Bob Nightengale: Blue Jays 5, Dodgers 2
There’s no stopping the Jays now. They treat opposing starters as if they were wearing a Colorado Rockies uniform. After this night, they will be celebrating the arrival of hockey season. Expert MLB Daily Picks: Unique MLB betting insights only on USA TODAY
Gabe Lux: Blue Jays 4, Dodgers 2
This series exposed a person who can almost become a prisoner of the moment. And Yoshinobu Yamamoto will give the Dodgers a great chance to prevent elimination. However, in Games 3-5 in Los Angeles, the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 8-1 from the seventh to the ninth innings. Yamamoto will not pitch a complete game this time. And the Dodgers’ bullpen hasn’t improved.
Steve Gardner: Dodgers 3, Blue Jays 2 (10)
The pitching battle should be great, especially now that the bullpen has had time to reset. It will be difficult to produce a lot of runs, so let’s hope for a long ball from Shohei Ohtani’s bat late in the inning.
Jesse Yomtov: Dodgers 7, Blue Jays 3
The Dodgers will be able to hit a few home runs and play again the next day, leading to their first seven-game World Series since 2019.
- Joe Davis, commentary
- John Smoltz, color commentary
- Rosenthal and Tom Verdolucci, dugout reporter
(As of Friday 8:15 PM ET)
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -200
- Shohei Otani +220
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto +1100
- Alejandro Kirk +2000
- Addison Berger +3000
- Trey Yesavage +3000
Veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman will take the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.
Gausman went 10-11 with a 3.59 ERA in the regular season and made five playoff appearances this year, pitching 24 2/3 innings and posting a 2.55 ERA.
The Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, the only championships in franchise history.
pitcher (12): LHP Anthony Banda, LHP Jack Dryer, RHP Tyler Glasnow, RHP Edgardo Henriquez, LHP Clayton Kershaw, RHP Will Klein, RHP Loki Sasaki, RHP Emmett Sheehan, LHP Blake Snell, RHP Blake Treinen, LHP Justin Robleski, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Position, dual wielder (14): SS Mookie Betts, OF Alex Cole, OF Justin Dean, INF/OF Tommy Edman, 1B Freddie Freeman, INF/OF Quique Hernandez, OF Teoscar Hernandez, INF/OF Kim Hye-sung, 3B Max Muncy, DH/P Shohei Ohtani, OF Andy Pages, INF Miguel Rojas, C Ben Rotvedt, C Will Smith.
pitcher (12): RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Shane Bieber, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, RHP Braydon Fisher, LHP Mason Fluharty, RHP Kevin Guzman, RHP Jeff Hoffman, LHP Eric Lauer, LHP Brendon Little, RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Lewis Berland, RHP Trey Yesavage.
position player (14): C Tyler Heineman, C Alejandro Kirk, INF/OF Addison Berger, INF Beau Bichette, INF Ernie Clement, INF Ty France, INF Andres Jimenez, INF Vladimir Guerrero Jr., INF Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, OF Nathan Rooks, OF Davis Schneider, OF George Springer, OF Miles Stroh, OF Dalton Varsho.
- 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
Watch the World Series live on Fubo
Game 6 of the 2025 World Series begins Friday at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM ET.
The Blue Jays have won the World Series twice in franchise history. The games were against the Atlanta Braves in 1992 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993.
Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers before the 2024 season. At the time of his signing, it was the largest contract in North American professional sports history, and the deal defers the package’s $680 million to payments starting in 2034.
The schedule for the first appearance is 8pm ET At the Rogers Center in Toronto.
