Historic Game 1 goes exactly according to plan as Blue Jays dominate Dodgers 11-4

It would be an understatement to say that Game 1 of the World Series went exactly as the Toronto Blue Jays planned.

Is rookie Trey Yesavage doing enough to keep you in the game? Check. Is it relatively early to knock out Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell? Check. Is the offense taking advantage of the Dodgers' weak bullpen? Persistent check.

In the end, all those ticks led to the Blue Jays' 11-4 victory over the defending champion Dodgers, marking Toro'sThis is nto's first World Series win since Joe Carter touched everyone in 1993.

“It’s just crazy,” said Addison Barger, the game-one hero after hitting his first grand slam in World Series history.

“The fans are so energetic, we really feel it. I thought we had a lot of good players, we did it and it worked.”

In some ways, the win epitomized the 2025 Blue Jays, with many pundits counting them out before the World Series even began. They fell behind 2-0 early.

But they never seemed to panic and just continued to play their game.

Historic Grand Slam tournament

Then the wrong number came.

The Blue Jays opened the scoring wide open in the sixth inning, scoring nine runs, the most in a single World Series frame since the 10th-place Detroit Tigers in 1968.

At the center of it all was Barger, who hit his historic hit to right-center field 413 feet, sending Rodgers center into pandemonium.

“I couldn't feel my legs. I just passed out,” Barger told Sportsnet's Hazel May in his post-match interview.

It was Barger's teammates who set the stage for his success.

The 25-year-old player needed a place to stay Thursday night because his family was in Toronto for the World Series and took over his apartment.

Outfielder Davis Schneider stepped up to the plate. He offered Barger a seat on his pull-out hotel couch overlooking Rogers Center, and Barger accepted.

“I heard a squeak all night,” Schneider said after the game as Barger moved.

Around 9 a.m., they woke up to stadium workers rehearsing for performances.

Just over 12 hours later, Barger woke up the entire country with his explosion.

Grinding bats

Bo Bichette, playing his first game since spraining his knee Sept. 6, took the first step toward success. Alejandro Kirk released a single from the opposite side.

Dalton Varsho then worked the bat long to complete the count before he was hit by a Snell pitch to end the opening night.

“We had a good approach [Snell]made it work, that was the most important thing,” Varsho said.

“For us, just being able to grind at bats, knowing that we can pass the torch to the next guy, that's been our MO all year and we trust that.”

Ernie Clement then gave the Blue Jays their first lead of the game with an RBI single. Pinch-hitter Nathan Lux drew a walk with the bases loaded. Andres Jimenez added another RBI single to put the Jays up 5–2 and chase reliever Emmett Sheehan.

And then Barger exploded, immediately diving into Blue Jays history.

“I was just trying to put the ball in play, make a run. That was my only goal. And it ended up being a lot better,” Barger said.

Alejandro Kirk added a double later in the inning to give the Blue Jays even more breathing room, ultimately allowing them to keep closer Jeff Hoffman and top reliever Louis Warland heading into Saturday's Game 2.

Don't forget about the fourth inning, when Varsho provided the first bit of magic with a game-tying two-run home run from Snell, the Dodgers' ace.

It was the first home run by left-handed Snell against a left-handed hitter since June 2024.

Despite going three scoreless innings, the Blue Jays worked Snell hard, including a 29-pitch first inning that set the stage for the starter's early exit.

Yesavage fought and made history

Meanwhile, rookie Trey Yesavage, the second youngest pitcher ever to start a World Series game at just 22 years old, battled his team through four innings but limited the damage to just two runs.

His five shutouts in that game also put him in the franchise history books, giving him a career-high 27 points in a single postseason.

The pitcher, who started the season at the lowest level of the minor leagues, said it was a “crazy experience” starting Game 1 of the World Series and striking out Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani to start the game.

“My goal is to go out there and destroy everyone I come up against. So being able to start the game on a hot note definitely gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.

“It was cool, it was really cool.”

Reliever Mason Fluharty and Seranthony Dominguez then pitched two high-leverage innings to hold the Dodger.he is in fear.

Ohtani hit a double home run in the seventh inning.

But in the end, the game was so successful that Blue Jays fans began chanting “We don't need you” at Ohtani, who famously rejected a free agent bid from Toronto two years ago.

“Tomorrow tomorrow”

However, the World Series is far from over. For the Blue Jays' plan to really work, they need three more wins, starting Saturday when Kevin Gausman starts at Rogers Center.

Manager John Schneider noted that the “coolest part” of his day was the first pitch ceremony for Cito Gaston, who managed the 1992 and 1993 champion Blue Jays.

He said he would allow himself to savor the victory of the first game for 10 minutes.

“I feel great now. Tomorrow's tomorrow in about 10 minutes.”