Blue Jays hand World Series Game 1 start to Trey Yesavage

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Trey Yesavage pitched the first professional game of both his season and his career back in March in front of a sleepy crowd of 300 in Florida, the lowest level of minor league baseball.

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The right-handed phenom will throw out the first pitch of the 121st World Series in front of an estimated 45,000 people at Rogers Center on Friday night and global television audience in millions.

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Blue Jays manager John Schneider decided to go with the 22-year-old rookie to face the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. And this assignment, pitting him against global superstar Shohei Ohtani and the rest of the Dodgers, continues one of the greatest stories of the 2025 season.

“This is something I never dreamed of,” said Yesavage, who started the season in the lowest level of rookie ball and moved up four levels to reach the Jays in September.

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“But now I'm here and I fully embrace it. And I'm so happy to be here.”

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At 22 years and 80 days, Yesavage will become the second-youngest Game 1 starter in World Series history, second only to Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgerswho back in 1947 was 21 years and 267 days old.

The decision was something of a mystery considering veteran Kevin Gausman started the opening games of both the ALDS against the New York Yankees and the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners.

When asked whether Gausman needed an extra day of rest after pitching an inning in Monday's dramatic Game 7 ALCS win over the Mariners, Schneider danced around the question.

“We've been trying to talk to the guys to see how they're feeling physically, see what we've done historically from a rest standpoint, what that might look like later in the series for some guys,” Schneider said. “And then how each of them stands up to the Dodgers.”

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Again, there's no clear answer on Gausman's physical status, although Schneider suggested it's not certain the veteran will start in Game 2.

“I wanted to get everyone’s feedback, everyone’s opinion,” the manager continued. “Just talking to those guys (trainers and medical staff), I realized it made sense to put Kev on hold for a day. Still kind of figuring out when that's going to happen, whether it's Game 2 or Game 3.”

“But I think it was the best result for everyone in terms of matches and rest.”

We will see this.

But in Yesavage's case, it's sure to be a continuation of a great season.

The 2024 first-round draft pick previously joked that he knows more people in the organization than anyone else. He's not wrong.

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“I have guys from Dunedin (low A), Vancouver (high A), New Hampshire (double A) and Buffalo (triple A) messaging me and congratulating me,” Yesavage said. “But it’s just a testament to how united this whole organization is, even in different parts of the country.

“This organization runs very well and everyone here is great.”

Yesavage, who made his major league debut in September, said Schneider called him into his office Wednesday to give him an assignment he could only dream of back in the spring.

“Back at my hotel room, the first call was to my girlfriend,” Yesavage said. “We had to line up for a flight so she could come here and see it.

“Second call to parents. But it wasn't easy to sleep last night. My mind was racing. I found a way to get some Z, but it was a little difficult.”

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More challenges lie ahead, including facing a Dodgers lineup with the greatest player in the game, two-way star Shohei Ohtaniwho hit three home runs in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

“He's a special player,” Yesavage said. “He can be damaging to both sides of baseball. But that doesn't change the fact that we're in this situation for a reason.”

“So we just go out and be ourselves, and if we need to make adjustments to try to neutralize it, we’ll make those adjustments.”

As for what Schneider was hoping to see from Ohtani? The manager said he hopes the Japanese superstar will return The Blue Jays cap he took during his visit to Dunedin as a free agent in 2023..

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