Trey Yesavage, 22, set a new World Series record with 12 strikeouts while bowling brilliantly. In the opening innings, Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit back-to-back home runs off the first and third balls of the Dodgers’ Blake Snell to give the team the lead. Yesavage allowed just three hits and one run in seven innings, the only one coming from a solo home run by Keke Hernandez. The young bowler, who started the season at the Class-A level, got 23 swings and misses with his splitter and slider, the most in a World Series since 2008.
Toronto coach John Schneider called it a show of extraordinary confidence and skill. The Blue Jays took control of the game in the early innings with aggressive batting and scored six runs while the Dodgers were limited to just one run. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ strategy has backfired, with his team batting just .202 in the series and allowing just four runs in the final 29 innings. The Toronto Blue Jays now lead the World Series 3-2 and need just one victory to claim their first World Series title since 1993. Game 6 will be played Friday night at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, where the Dodgers’ Yamamoto and the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gauzman will face off again.