The Toronto Blue Jays and their fans witnessed something special on Wednesday night. It doesn’t get much better than a convincing 6-1 win in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead over the super team Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
Returning home with the opportunity to win a championship at the Rogers Center was what really mattered for the Blue Jays; however, the way it all went down in such a pivotal game at Dodger Stadium will go down in history.
Starting pitcher Trey Yesavage was untouchable and threw seven dominant innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out twelve.
Those 12 punchouts set the rookie record for most ever in a World Series game. Seven of them came into contact with the heart of the order: Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. His unique splitter fooled them from start to finish.
Yesavage’s ridiculous rise from starting the year in Class-A Dunedin to putting together baseball’s best lineups in the postseason is unheard of. It makes you wonder how he even ended up with the Blue Jays at pick No. 20 in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Trey Yesavage has 18 teams regretting their decision
While it’s still extremely early to look back on his draft class, what Yesavage has done in recent months cannot be replicated. A 22-year-old jumping on a moving bandwagon with just three career MLB starts under his belt, he starts five playoff games, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.46 ERA and a whopping 39 strikeouts. Those are the kind of numbers you expect from Tarik Skubal or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, not a rookie with virtually no big league experience.
Nineteen different organizations dropped Yesavage from the draft board last July. At this point, the athletic clubs are the only ones who should feel good about their decision, as first baseman Nick Kurtz already looks like one of the best hitters in baseball.
The 18 others look strange. While some of these candidates will certainly prove to be good players, it’s safe to say that none of them will make such an impact on the world’s biggest stage.
If the Blue Jays can pull this off and win their third World Series title in franchise history, Yesavage will never have to buy a meal in Toronto again. Honestly, he’s been so good that he might not need to do that even if they can’t find a way to get the job done.
However this all plays out, Yesavage has made himself not only a Toronto sports legend, but a Canadian sports legend as well. City and country can’t wait to see what else he has in store, because if this postseason was any indication, they’re in for many more historic performances in the years to come.
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