TORONTO | Blue Jays manager John Schneider has not changed his philosophy: All players on the roster will be available for the seventh and final game of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night in Toronto.
“You have to trust the people around you,” the manager said again Friday.
You don't have to go very far back in time to believe Schneider's words. The same was said during Game 7 of the American League Championship Series last Monday, October 20, against the Seattle Mariners.
Watch the deciding game between the Blue Jays and Dodgers at 8:00 p.m. tonight on TVA Sport 2.
In an impressive 4–3 victory, where George Springer played the hero with a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Blue Jays ended up using six different pitchers.
In addition to starter Shane Bieber, the team's top pitchers Louis Warland, Seranthony Dominguez and Jeff Hoffman logically saw action. However, it should be remembered that Kevin Gausman, the usual starter, pitched in the seventh inning and Chris Bassitt took care of the eighth. Hoffman then closed out the scoring with three strikeouts.
Starting line-up
Among position players, Schneider essentially gave the job to his starter for nine innings. Only Myles Straw replaced Addison Barger in the outfield for the final inning, during which the rookie ultimately didn't need to move due to Hoffman's brilliance on the mound.
So logically, all of the Blue Jays' players are available, but it would still be surprising if Gausman, who was the starter for Game 6 Friday night in Toronto, re-entered the game as a reliever. Is it enough? In the end, the outcome of this crucial game could easily be decided in extra innings. Nothing is impossible.
