The Toronto Blue Jays’ first World Series game in 32 years was an exhilarating smashfest on Friday night in Toronto.
The Jays crushed three home runs – including a grand slam from Addison Barger – to clobber the reigning world-champion Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk also homered on another big-hitting night for the Jays, while Bo Bichette finally made his first appearance – and got his first hit – of this post-season.
Friday night in Toronto was the biggest baseball game hosted in this country in 32 years. It had the captivating made-for-television atmosphere to match, from polished anthems by a gospel choir to press boxes packed with media from all over the world and resounding boos for the Dodgers’ Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. Toronto manager John Schneider caught the ceremonial first pitch from Cito Gaston, the last Jays manager to win a World Series.
The Jays threatened in the first inning, when they loaded the bases – including a Bichette single in his first at-bat as he made his long-awaited return from a six-week layoff due to a knee injury. But they couldn’t push anyone home.
Instead, the Dodgers scored the first two runs of the game on RBI singles by Enrique Hernández and Will Smith.
The sold-out crowd of 44,353 fell quiet for a while until Varsho whipped the home crowd into a frenzy when he smashed a two-run homer over the centre-field wall to tie the game in the fourth.
Toronto’s precocious 22-year-old starter Trey Yesavage, the second-youngest Game 1 starter in World Series history, lasted through the fourth inning, allowing four hits and two runs and striking out five. He didn’t have as much of a feel for his splitter in this game.
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In three plate appearances, Bichette had a single, he hit into a double play, and he took a walk. The star shortstop also played second base – a position he hasn’t played in the majors before. When he reached base on that walk in the sixth inning, the Jays replaced him with Isaiah Kiner-Falefa as a pinch runner. It started one of the Jays’ most remarkable innings of the season.
“I loved the fact that [Bichette] was the guy that kind of started that sixth inning,” said the Jays manager.
The Jays scored nine runs in that dizzying sixth inning, doing as they had hoped, running starter Blake Snell from the game and then getting to their bullpen.
First Snell hit Varsho in the helmet with a pitch to send him to first and load the bases, ending the day for the Dodgers starter.
Enter reliever Emmet Sheehan, and then the Jays went wild.
Ernie Clement singled to push Isiah Kiner-Falefa home.
Then Sheehan walked Nathan Lukes with the bases loaded, to score Kirk, and Andrés Giménez cracked a single to bring in Varsho. L.A. called for another reliever, Anthony Banda.
Barger then made his entrance to the game – replacing Davis Schneider - and hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. It was also the club’s first slam ever in the Fall Classic. Barger said he couldn’t imagine a better first moment for him in a World Series. A game they’d trailed 2-0 was suddenly a rout for the Jays.
“It was pretty cool for us to kind of string things together and trust each other and pass the baton,” said Varsho of that magical sixth inning.
Ohtani did hit a two-run homer off Braydon Fisher to cut into Toronto’s hefty lead. Still, Toronto’s bullpen took care of business: Mason Fluharty, Seranthony Dominguez, Chris Bassitt, and Eric Lauer all pitched scoreless innings.
Game 2 is Saturday in Toronto, with Kevin Gausman starting for Toronto.
Longtime Toronto Blue Jays supporter Sameia Hussain and her son describe how a watch party at the Nathan Phillips Square for Game 1, of the World series, which Toronto won, became even sweeter on Friday night. (Oct. 24)