LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday I did something I've never done before: I changed my choices. At CBS Sports headquarters at noon ET I said: Dodgers win Game 5 of the World Series. Six hours later, returning to CBS Sports headquarters from Dodger Stadium, I said I had changed my mind and accepted Blue Jays. After the hit, a colleague asked me who I thought would win the series. And I said I was thinking about the Blue Jays. Before the series began, I predicted the Dodgers would win in five.
Now, after Blue Jays win 6-1 in Game 5I'm confident in the Blue Jays. They have this series.
There's just been a complete shift in mood for me, and a lot of it is based on the resilience that the Blue Jays continue to show. There is an almost tangible atmosphere in the clubhouse. Of course, every team that's ever been to the World Series has said things like that, and every team that comes here believes they'll win it. But there is a feeling that is difficult to describe. This Blue Jays team feels like they just won't be denied.
There were many adversities, but they responded every time.
If they haven't lost this series yet, they just aren't going to lose it.
They lost one of their best strikers. George Springerto injury; he has not played since leaving Game 3 early. They use the guy who didn't return from Tommy John surgery until August in the rotation. along with a newcomer who made only three Major League Baseball starts before the playoffs. They have a patchwork bullpen. There's a 31-year-old rookie there. Nathan Luxwho spent 10 years in the minors. Bo Bichette plays injured. Their large replenishment in the off-season, Anthony Santandersuffered a relative loss in the regular season and is now injured and out of action. They lost the first two games of the ALCS at home and still won the series. They fell behind 2-1 in the World Series after a heartbreaking 18-inning Game 3 loss. They currently lead with a score of 3-2. And they return home, where they were 54-27 this season. Including the playoffs, that home record jumped to 59–30, the best in all of baseball.
“I can’t wait to see what Rogers Center will look, feel and sound like,” manager John Schneider said after Game 5.
They have been on assignment since the end of May. After the loss on May 27, the score was 26-28. They went 68-40 the rest of the way, capturing their first AL East title since 2015.
“This is what we do. This is what we have been doing for the last four months of the year,” Max Scherzer said Wednesday. “As soon as we got going in mid-May, in June when this club clicked, everyone here knew what was going on. Then we started playing with a different brand of ball. We've moved up a level.”
The aforementioned newcomer, 22 years old. Trey Yesavagecompletely dominated the Dodgers' offense in Game 5. He was breathtaking and the star of the show in Game 5. He had a great slider and, as usual, used his splitter as an out. He hit 10 hits on the splitter, including seven puffs. In total, he struck out 12 Dodgers, breaking the record for a rookie in a World Series game—coincidentally, it was Dodgers pitcher Don Newcomb who previously held the record (1949 game).
“The best part is that it was no different from the game in September.” Chris Bassitt said. “He's just solid, collected, and this moment doesn't really matter to him, which is crazy considering how young he is… Some guys are just built differently, and he's built differently. To come in with that much confidence and come to this place, it’s like, holy shit.”
“This first game [Yesavage pitched]“You could just see it was different,” Scherzer said. “He can go against anyone right now.”
Yesavage allowed only three hits in the fifth game; two of them were infield singles players. He had never thrown a pitch in the seventh inning of a start before, even in the minors. He completed seven innings in this one. It was masterful.
“The maturity he's shown to deal with moments like that is really impressive,” Bo Bichette said.
How about Davis Schneider? To date, he has started only four playoff games out of the Blue Jays' 15 postseason games. He missed the lead. He was pushed back to the spot, partly because of Springer's injury. He scored on the first pitch of the game from the two-time Cy Young winner. Blake Snell. This team just has a new man mentality. Clement and Addison Barger And Dalton Varsho and Andres Jimenez, and, well, almost everyone. Isaiah Keener-Fear this album even featured the single RBI.
Of course, there was also a superstar, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.with a home run right after Schneider. It was the first time in history that a team hit back-to-back home runs to start a World Series game. Snell had never given up two home runs in the first inning before in his career, so it was a double dose of history.
It was a special start to the game, followed by a special performance from Yesavage. This is a special team.
Snell, by the way, was incredibly dominant before the World Series. The Blue Jays hit him twice in this series. He gave up 10 runs on 14 hits in 11⅔ innings. That's a 7.71 ERA. He had a 0.86 ERA in his previous three playoff starts.
Jace is simply unstoppable. A team that led the team in batting average during the regular season and that can also hit hard is relentless, even missing a few guys due to injury. This was demonstrated in both Games 4 and 5. They will string together big home runs, but also string together hits and make you pay for your mistakes.
Do a third run. The Dodgers had just cut their lead to 2-1. Dalton Varsho hit it down the right field line. It was clearly a good shot, but Teoscar Hernandez misplayed it and turned it into a three. Varsho then immediately scored on the sack. They simply find ways to punish their opponents. Again and again. Both the single and walk scored in the seventh inning, increasing the lead to 5-1. A wild pitch contributed to a run in the eighth. They also hit 27 home runs in 16 postseason games. They just attack from all sides.
Once again, yes, every World Series team has to believe in themselves, but these Jays have their own vibe. Just look at the other dugout. Did the Dodgers look like a hungry team fighting for their lives in Game 5, or did they seem lifeless? Some of that was Yesavage's dominant pitching, but the Dodgers made plenty of pitching and defensive errors.
Look, the Dodgers could very well win this series by bouncing back and looking like an elite version of themselves. They could have won two games in Toronto. Will anyone be shocked? The Blue Jays are ready.
“We've been in situations where you know the show could change,” Scherzer said. “We just need to take care of business. We have to go 1-0, take it one game at a time and play the game we always play.”
“They're a tremendous team and they're defending champions,” Bichette said of the Dodgers. “They’re going to come out and fight, so we need to be ready.”
I just don't think a Dodgers comeback is going to happen. I think the Blue Jays have this series. They are in control now and just need to win one game out of two at home.
It won't take two. Blue Jays in six. I was wrong before the show, but I'm tired of being wrong about this group of extraordinary people. They will soon become World Series champions.
