Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
BY: AIDAN SHINNERS; STAFF WRITER
The Los Angeles Dodgers look to win their second consecutive World Series championship, and the only team standing in their way is the top-seeded Toronto Blue Jays.
The Dodgers, led by two-way player Shohei Ohtani and defending World Series MVP Freddie Freeman look to be the first team to win back-to-back World Series championships since the New York Yankees who won three straight from 1998-2000.
The LA pitching staff has been led by Japanese talent, including Roki Sasaki, a traditional starter who was converted to the bullpen. Sasaki tallied his first career save in the Division Series and multiple others throughout the playoffs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto charged the Dodgers’ first win of the World Series, throwing a complete game in Game 2, allowing just one run totaling eight strikeouts, his second complete game of the postseason. And, of course, Shohei Ohtani, who completed the Dodgers sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. Ohtani struck out 10 in six scoreless innings and homered three times to propel Los Angeles to a 5-1 win over the Brewers.
As for the Blue Jays, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has powered Toronto through the postseason, hitting three home runs in each of the ALDS and ALCS against the Yankees and Mariners respectively. George Springer sent Toronto to the World Series, hitting a three-run home run deep to left field giving the Blue Jays a lead late in Game 7.
Toronto is home to the biggest story of the playoffs with the postseason debut of Trey Yesavage is a rookie who had only thrown 19 MLB innings entering the postseason. Yesavage threw 5.1 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts in his first career postseason game, coming in the ALDS against Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees. Yesavage picked up a win in game 6 of the ALCS to keep Toronto’s World Series hopes alive and eventually close out the series with a Game 7 win.
Game 1 of the World Series saw an offensive explosion from the Blue Jays, defeating Blake Snell and the Dodgers 11-4. Toronto handed Snell his first loss of the postseason, scoring five runs in Snell’s five innings, including a home run from outfielder Daulton Varsho. Addison Barger hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history in the sixth inning off of Anthony Banda. An eighth inning homer from Shohei Ohtani made him the second Japanese-born player in league history to hit a home run in the World Series, joining 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui.
The Dodgers evened the series in Game 2 with a 5-1 win. Back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning by third baseman Max Muncy and catcher Will Smith off Toronto’s Kevin Gausman led LA’s offense. Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw nine innings of one-run baseball, striking out eight while only allowing four hits.
Game 3 saw a tie for the longest game in World Series history, an 18-inning thriller that lasted more than six-and-a-half hours. Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run homer to give Toronto an early lead, that was answered in the bottom of the 7th by Shohei Ohtani, the last run until the deciding score in the 18th. Ohtani finished the game 4/4 with two home runs, two doubles and five walks, including four intentional walks, a World Series record. Both bullpens were lights out during a 10-inning span from the 8th to 17th where no runs were scored, until the bottom of the 18th inning. Defending World Series MVP Freddie Freeman walked off the game with a home run to dead center field; the Dodgers took a 2-1 series lead with a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays.
Toronto managed to even the series in Game 4, defeating LA 6-2. Shohei Ohtani threw six innings allowing four runs, including a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. two run shot to give the Blue Jays an early lead. This was Guerrero’s seventh home run of the postseason, a franchise record. The Dodgers went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and were only able to manage one extra-base hit. Shane Bieber of the Blue Jays pitched 5.1 innings, only allowing one run, allowing the Blue Jays bullpen a much needed reset after game three featured nearly every pitcher on both sides.
Yesavage added to his postseason lore in Game 5, where he threw seven innings of one-run ball, as the Blue Jays won 6-1, taking a 3-2 series lead. Yesavage’s 12 strikeouts are the most a rookie has ever thrown in a World Series game. Toronto became the first team in World Series history to lead off the game with back-to-back home runs when left fielder Davis Schneider and Guerrero Jr. each left the yard. Dodgers starter Blake Snell pitched into the seventh, giving up five earned runs and walking four Toronto hitters. Toronto blew the game open with two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth, sending the series back to Canada for Game 6, one win away from their first title since 1993.
The potentially decisive Game 6 will take place on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. in Toronto. If necessary, the winner-take-all Game 7 would take place the following night.
