In my post following Game 2, when Yamamoto threw his complete game for the Dodgers to even the series, I asked if it was too much for us to have a history-making moment every game. I asked this because the pitching brilliance of Yamamoto in Game 2, which put him in the echelon of former greats like Hershiser, Koufax, and others, was immediately on the heels of Addison Barger’s pinch-hit grand slam for Toronto in Game 1 which was also the first of its kind. Right out of the gate, in the first two games, the series gave us two historical firsts and it just caused me to wonder from the start if we were on the precipice of something special here.

It turns out, after five games, we are indeed witnessing something special here with this World Series as it continues to deliver on every front and is now headed back to Toronto for Game 6, with the Blue Jays having a surprising 3-2 lead. And, it has turned out that each game has delivered a history-making moment:

Game 1 saw the grand slam from Barger. 
Game 2 saw Yamamoto unite with past greats. 
Game 3 was the epic 18-inning war which tied for the longest World Series game ever and included Ohtani’s record of reaching base nine times. 
Game 4 saw Vladdy Jr. hit his franchise record tying 7th home run of the postseason, and for all I know there were other records tied or set that game in some other fashion I’m unaware of. 

It’s just remarkable how entertaining and engaging and engrossing each game of the series has been, in addition to history also being made in each contest. And that trend continued last night with the pitching performance for Toronto of a 22-year-old rookie right-hander, from Eastern Carolina University, who started the season in A-ball named, Trey Yesavage, who twirled an absolutely dominant masterpiece on the mound to the tune of: 

7IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB, 12K.

Just think about that line for moment on that stage. 
No walks recorded tells you how much he controlled the strike zone last night, and yet it doesn’t really even do it justice. He OWNED and pounded the zone. In seven innings pitched he only faced a batter with a runner in scoring position once.One of those three hits was a harmless, accidental, in-field single by Teoscar Hernandez toward the end of Yesavage’s night. His twelve strikeouts is a new World Series record for a rookie, breaking the previously held mark of 11 by Don Newcombe in 1949. He had 23 swings and misses on his pitches which is a new high-water mark since that stat began being tracked in 2008. At one point he struck out five consecutive batters between the first and third innings. Just remarkable, and again, historic. What a series.

While the night belonged to Yesavage, it also cannot be ignored how the game opened before Yesavage even toed the mound. The Dodgers featured Blake Snell on the mound again, hoping for a bounce back performance from his loss in Game 1 and yet Game 5 couldn’t have started worse for him as he immediately ceded home runs to the first two batters – Davis Schneider (who I’ve decided if he didn’t play baseball looks like he would sell residential water softener systems) and Vladdy Jr. who now owns the Blue Jay record for home runs in a postseason and continues his torrid run. A two-run lead is by no means insurmountable for any team, let alone a lineup like the Dodgers, and so while the early home runs were a buzz kill for the Los Angeles crowd there was no initial reason for alarm. Except for the fact that Trey Yesavage decided to do a 2003 Josh Beckett impersonation and just completely lock down and befuddle the Dodger hitters as a road starter in a pivotal World Series spot. Turns out last night that early two-run lead off the bats of Schneider and Vladdy was insurmountable under those circumstances. 

Man. 

What. A. Series. 

And what a boon for Major League Baseball. I understand that MLB’s perfect dream scenario for a World Series is always Dodgers-Yankees. Speaking of Yankees, you may recall that Yesavage pitched in that series too (ALDS) and in his start went 5 1/3 innings and struck out eleven. Again, I realize that’s the dream scenario from a ratings and market standpoint for MLB but this has to bode well, also. You’ve got the east coast/west coast (two countries, in fact), you’ve still got big markets at play, you’ve got star power, and again, these games just keep delivering on the excitement and drama. Really good for baseball, including both the die-hard fan and causal fan. 

I cannot wait for Game 6 and expect it to deliver, too, just like each game has for far. I’m eager to see the Rogers Centre and expect it to be electric. I’m eager to see how pitching wizard Yamamoto follows up his last two starts (what is it with pitchers in this series with Y-last names?) and gotta believe he gives the Dodgers confidence they can extend the series. I’m pumped to be having a game on Halloween as I always want the World Series to go long enough where I can have the game on my garage TV while I sit in the driveway with my neighbors and pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Love that. 

The Fall Classic…has, indeed, so far been classic!