TORONTO — What defines great pitchers is their ability to make changes, and now it's up to rookie Trey Yesavage to prove he can do it.
Yesavage, 22, will start for the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday as Toronto fights to stay alive in the postseason. Logan Gilbert gets the ball for the Seattle Mariners, who lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
“All the work all season has led up to this point, not only for me, but for the team that has been doing it since March,” Yesavage said at a press conference during extra practice on Saturday. “Everything has led us to this point and we can show the world who we are, so it’s special.”
Yesavage began his season as a member of the Dunedin Blue Jays' singles team of the Florida Comprehensive League and progressed through all levels of Toronto's full-season minor league system, arriving in the major leagues as a call-up in September.
He earned the win in three regular-season starts for the Blue Jays, recording 16 strikeouts in 14 innings and a 3.21 earned run average. He made a stellar postseason debut on October 5, striking out 11 Yankees in 5 1/3 hitless innings as Toronto beat New York 13-7.
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But Seattle made life difficult for him in the ALCS.
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Yesavage gave up five runs in four innings as Toronto lost 10-3 to the Mariners in Game 2 of the ALCS on Monday. The Blue Jays won two of three games in Seattle to force a game six.
The rookie said he took full advantage of those three games to watch how Toronto's other starters prepare and understand how to make adjustments when they face the same team twice a week.
“I realized it’s not just one game because I have to come back here and have a sixth game,” Yesavage said. “So to be able to move on from the beginning, for better or worse, and go out there and treat it like a new day.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that although Yesavage is young, he learned a lot in his first season as a professional baseball player, even if it was spread across the five levels of the game.
“I think that's what he's done all year, not only here with us in the big leagues, but throughout the season,” Schneider said. “He's been in a lot of big games. He's been in big regular-season games, he's been in big postseason games, and he's done well.
“I don't want to put all the pressure on Trey. He's the starting pitcher. We'll have nine guys on the roster that have to do their jobs and guys that have to do their jobs defensively.”
Gilbert said he was honored to have the opportunity to start for the Mariners and perhaps lead them to the World Series for the first time in the franchise's 48-year history.
“It’s been such a long year that it’s amazing to just get to this point,” Gilbert said. “But to be the one in possession of the ball, you grow up dreaming of those moments and you don’t know how many you’ll get in your career.
“Some guys never get it, so it’s very important and hopefully I can just contribute to the team.”
Yesavage agreed.
“An opportunity like this doesn’t come around very often,” he said. “I was talking to (13-year MLB veteran Kevin) Gausman the other day and I asked, 'What's the furthest you've come in the playoffs?' And he said, “This is the furthest I've gotten,” and he's been playing this game for a long time.
“I’m very fortunate to be in this situation, and I want to win and continue to play, not only for myself, but for the guys who haven’t seen this part of baseball before.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
