World Series Game 5 score, takeaways: Blue Jays one win away from title after Trey Yesavage dominates Dodgers

The Toronto Blue Jays powered up early in Game 5 of the World Series and then rode a sparkling, historic start by rookie Trey Yesavage on Wednesday night to a 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Jays' win gives them a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-seven series -- an advantage they'll take with them back to Toronto for Game 6 and, if necessary, Game 7. 

As for Game 5, the Jays announced themselves in the first inning when the first two batters of the game, Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., homered off Dodgers ace Blake Snell: 

In doing so, Schneider and Guerrero became the first teammates ever to begin a World Series game with back-to-back home runs. More to the point, they staked Yesavage to an early 2-0 lead. 

The Dodgers pulled closer in the home half of the third inning when Kiké Hernández -- manning center field as part of manager Dave Roberts' lineup adjustments for Game 5 -- hit the 16th postseason home run of his career, this one a 407-foot solo shot to left. The Blue Jays, though, regained their two-run lead in the top of the fourth thanks to an Ernie Clement sac fly. 

Other than the Hernández clout, 23-year-old Yesavage was dominant against the Dodgers in what was just his eighth major-league start, regular season and postseason combined: 

Trey Yesavage

TOR • SP • #39

2025 World Series Game 5

IP7

H3

R1

SO12

BB0

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Those 12 strikeouts are a rookie record for a World Series game, breaking the mark of 11 set by Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949. He's also the first pitcher ever to record 12 or more strikeouts without a walk in a World Series game. This marked the first time in Yesavage's professional career that he pitched into the seventh inning in a start. Of his 104 pitches, 71 went for strikes. Yesavage also recorded an impressive 23 swings and misses on the night, including 14 on his slider: 

As for Snell, he wound up allowing five runs, all earned, in 6 ⅔ innings. The lefty had been on an extended run of dominance dating back to early September until he ran into Toronto. In this World Series, the Blue Jays have tagged him for 10 runs in 11 ⅔ innings. 

The last of those runs against Snell came in the seventh inning, when Toronto added cushion to its lead. One of those runs in the seventh came on a single followed by three wild pitches. The final Toronto run came in the eighth thanks to an RBI single from Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Overall, the Los Angeles offense in this series has now scored 18 runs in five games, and one of those games last 18 innings.

Game 6, an elimination game for the defending champs, will be Friday back in Toronto. First pitch will be a bit after 8:00 p.m. ET. The pitching matchup will be a redo of Game 2 -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the visiting Dodgers and Kevin Gausman for the Jays. 

Ohtani, Smith, Betts, Freeman: 1 for 15 with 8 K tonight.

Will Smith starts the ninth with a single. A ninth inning tease for the second straight night?

Jeff Hoffman coming in to finish this one off. It's 6-1 Toronto.

There is one out in the top of the ninth already, actually. The Blue Jays will take at least a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. They're three outs away from a 3-2 series lead.

Another wild pitch advanced a runner, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa brought home Toronto's sixth run with his first hit of the World Series. It's 6-1 in the eighth. 

That's four wild pitches or passed balls in the last two innings. I know he's tired after catching 27 innings the last two days, but Will Smith has gotta be better than this behind the plate. Too many balls scooting too far away.

The 12 strikeouts are a rookie record for the World Series. They're also tied for the sixth most in a World Series game period. Bob Gibson has the record with his 17-strikeout masterpiece in Game 1 of the 1968 Fall Classic. The last pitcher with 12 strikeouts in a World Series game was Orlando Hernandez in Game 3 in 2000.

He's struck out 12, walked zero, and allowed only three hits, two of which did not leave the infield. An absolute masterpiece. It's 5-1 Blue Jays. They're six outs away from being one win away from a World Series championship.

He's struck out 12. That's a World Series record for a rookie.

Trey Yesavage has broken Don Newcombe's World Series rookie record with his 12th strikeout. He's been nails throughout the night, and really, throughout his nascent big-league career. 

To wit, Yesavage struck out 11 in his first postseason start, back in the ALDS against the New York Yankees. 

Newcombe was, of course, a member of the Dodgers (albeit when they resided in Brooklyn) back in 1949. Coincidentally, that game came in a 1-0 loss against the Yankees. 

Edgardo Henriquez faced three batters and went walk, single, walk. He threw 15 pitches. Four strikes.

Addison Barger's trip around the bases went single, wild pitch, wild pitch, passed ball. The passed ball, which totally should have been scored a wild pitch, scored Toronto's fourth run of the game.

Barger went from first to home without the benefit of a base hit that inning. The Dodgers have played some sloppy baseball this series. They gifted Barger and the Dodgers a run there. Too many free bases and not enough making them earn it.

Bo Bichette following with an RBI single to make it 5-1 Blue Jays in the seventh. Second night in a row the bullpen came in and immediately make a mess of things. Edgardo Henriquez has allowed the two runners he inherited from Snell to score.

With the way the Dodgers are hitting (or aren't hitting), this feels dire. The Blue Jays are in great, great shape right now.

His night and very likely his season are over. He threw 116 pitches. Edgardo Henriquez is coming in to face Vlad Jr. with runners on the corners and two outs. Blue Jays still up 3-1, though it feels more like 30-1.

Snell is staying in to face the top of the lineup for a fourth time at 110 pitches. Empty the tank time. (Also avoid the bullpen as long as possible time.)

They had stretches like this during the regular season too. The offense just went collectively cold for 2-3 weeks. It was bizarre.

There was an .860 expected batting average on this 117.3 mph (!) liner off the bat of Shohei Ohtani: 

In general, Los Angeles' offense has not lived up to its (deserved) reputation this postseason.

Blake Snell has been pretty good since the back-to-back homers. That third run was on the defense more than him. None of this is gonna matter unless the Dodgers hit though. Either the bats wake up and they'll have a chance, or they won't and they don't.

Which plainspoken actor should I trust when it comes to cell phone coverage?

I sometimes hate it in sports when people slap this label on teams, especially in the biggest game of the year, but don't the Dodgers seem lifeless tonight? It could just be the product of Trey Yesavage dominating on the mound, of course.

Ball don't lie: Vlad Jr. grounded into a double play after Schneider's leadoff walk.

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Davis Schneider takes ball four for the leadoff walk one pitch after it looked like he went around on what was called a check swing. Not sure about that one.

The two baserunners there were kind of fluky. Yesavage is still in total control of this thing. He's only given up one run on two hits with eight strikeouts in four innings. He's thrown 62 pitches, so he could well get this thing straight to the late-inning relievers.

Tommy Edman harmlessly popped up to end the threat. It is 3-1 Blue Jays through four innings.

Freddie Freeman was hit with a pitch and then Teoscar Hernández reached on an infield single. Here's Tommy Edman.

Daulton Varsho led off the fourth inning with a triple, though there could've been an error tacked on for Teoscar Hernández, who misplayed the ball in right field, allowing Varsho to get all the way to third base. Ernie Clement followed with a sac fly and it's now 3-1 Blue Jays here in the fourth.

With one swing, Kiké Hernández -- in center field tonight -- cuts the 2-0 Dodgers deficit in half in the third inning: 

That's the 16th postseason home run of his career. Trey Yesavage had been on a serious roll before that blast. 

Trey Yesavage has struck out five straight Dodgers hitters.