Toronto Blue Jays Take 3-2 Lead in the World Series

By Maggie Hoffman

Last Wednesday night in Major League Baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays clinched a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. Leading off the game with back-to-back home runs, the first time that feat hasever been achieved in the World Series, Toronto was able to maintain that momentum throughout. The Blue Jays’ starting pitcher, Trey Yesavage, also made history, breaking the record for most strikeouts by a rookie pitcher in a World Series game with 12. He did this over the course of seven innings, allowing just one run and zero walks.

A lone home run from Kiké Hernández wasn’t enough to propel Los Angeles past the visiting team. They faced offensive struggles all night, with only four hits in comparison to Toronto’s nine. For a team filled with some of the biggest names in professional baseball—Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts, to name a few—their inability to fill the stat sheet proved surprising and certainly a stark change from the beginning of the series. 

The defending champs from Los Angeles entered the series as the heavily favored team, but Toronto quickly proved why they’ve made it this far. In Game 1, the Blue Jays claimed an 11-4 victory at home, powered by nine runs in the sixth inning. For their first World Series appearance in 32 years, they certainly made a statement. 

Los Angeles knotted the series at one apiece in Game 2 thanks to a brilliant performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto. For the second time this postseason, Yamamoto threw a complete game and allowed just one run to give the Dodgers a 5-1 victory. 

After an 18-inning thriller on Monday night that lasted nearly seven hours, the Dodgers won their second straight game thanks to a Freddie Freeman solo walk-off home run. L.A.’s two-way star Shohei Ohtani tallied three runs before Toronto opted to intentionally walk him four times in extra innings. He’s had a historic season both on the mound and at bat, so it’s no surprise that the Blue Jays would try to put a stop to his momentum.

The very next night, however, Toronto bounced back with a convincing 6-2 win in Los Angeles to tie the series at 2. Ohtani pitched seven innings, but it was clear that Game 3, not even 24 hours prior, had taken a toll on him. He struck out twice at the plate in a game where offense proved to be a real challenge for the Dodgers, and their pitching wasn’t able to save them in the way it typically does.

Both teams will now head back to Toronto for Game 6. The Blue Jays have a chance to claim their third World Series title, but the star-studded Dodgers will certainly pose a significant threat as they hope to force a Game 7.