Tag: Blue Jays make contact

Final Score: Blue Jays 11 Dodgers 4

Why The Blue Jays Won: After 3 and 1/2 innings, the Blue Jays trailed the Dodgers 2-0, but you still had to feel really good about the Blue Jays’ chances. They were playing Blue Jays offense They had made Blake Snell throw 56 pitches and struck out only 3 times in the first 3 innings. Over the next 2-plus innings, things would only get worse for Snell and the Dodgers. Snell would have to throw 44 more pitches and gave up a 2-run homer to Daulton Varsho. The bottom of the 6th was a complete disaster. The Blue Jays started the inning by getting the first 6 men on base. The first 3 against Blake Snell and the next 3 against reliever Emmet Sheehan. They took the lead 5-2. The Dodgers were able to get the first out with a force out at home. The bases were loaded with one out when Addison Barger was announced as the pinch hitter. The Dodgers countered with left-hander Anthony Banda. On the 4th pitch of the at-bat, Barger took an up-and-in slider and parked it in the stands for the first pinch-hit grand slam home run in World Series history. This game was history too. Both teams added 2 more runs for the final score of 11-4. The Blue Jays only struck out 4 times in the game. They hit 3 home runs. The Blue Jays played their game to perfection and blew the Dodgers away.

The Key Moments Of The Game: In the bottom of the first, Snell had just gotten out of a bases-loaded situation with no runs scoring. Blue Jay starter Trey Yesavage did not have his best stuff. He walked Will Smith to start the inning. After a force out, he gave up back-to-back singles, and the Dodgers took the lead 1-0. An infield single loaded the bases. Andy Pages worked the count to 3 and 2. He struck out on a slider that was down around the ankles. Shohei Ohtani grounded out to first base to end the inning. A potential big inning ended with just one run scoring. In the next inning, the Dodgers started out with 2 walks and a single to plate their 2nd run. Freddie Freeman was thrown out trying to go to third. Bo Bichette made a great play up the middle, on the left field side of 2nd base, and threw out the batter. That was the defensive gem of the game. It was Bichette’s first game in the Majors at 2nd base. So much for being a defensive liability. Max Muncy struck out to end the inning. Again, the Dodgers could score only 1 run. Yesavage retired the side in order in his last inning, the 4th, but what a line. He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. It could have been so much worse. Then the Blue Jays did their thing in the bottom of the 6th, scoring 9 runs and essentially ending the Dodgers’ chances in game 1.

Next Game: Tonight, in Toronto. The Blue Jays put on a hitting clinic last night. It is something that Pirate fans can only dream about. Their two-strike approach was phenomenal. Game 2 will see if they can continue their kind of baseball. It looks like the layoff did affect the Dodgers somewhat. Blowout losses are not all bad. It is still just one loss. The Dodgers did not have to use any of their A-squad bullpen. There is no question that the Blue Jays have to be feeling really good right now. In the strength-against-strength showdown, the Blue Jays won the battle easily. The Dodgers should be worried.