Trey Yesavage puts Blue Jays a win from World Series title
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Juan Beltran, Contributor
- October 30, 2025
Rookie delivers historic, 12 K outing
LOS ANGELES – Before Trey Yesavage even stepped foot on the Dodger Stadium mound for the Blue Jays, Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had set a dramatic tone for Game 5 of the World Series. Then it got worse for the defending champion Dodgers.
In the span of three pitches, Schneider and Guerrero had deposited a pair of souvenirs over the walls to stun the sellout crowd. Then the disappointment truly set in as Yesavage methodically squeezed the life out of the Dodgers’ lineup with a historic pitching performance.
Yesavage delivered one of the best rookie performances in World Series history, striking out a Fall Classic rookie record 12 while leading the Blue Jays to within a victory of their third title in franchise history and the first in 32 years.
Blue Jays 6, Dodgers 1.
“Historic stuff,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of his rookie pitcher’s performance. “When you talk about that stage and his numbers, getting ahead of a lot of hitters, tons of swing-and-miss.
“It’s one thing to be in the zone, and it’s another thing to be in the zone and get some swing-and-miss. So slider and split were electric.”
Record-breaking outing
At one point Yesavage became the first rookie to strike out five in a row in a World Series game. Then he became the first to strikeout 12 overall in a Fall Classic game.
Yesavage held the Dodgers to three hits and one run while striking out 12. He needed only 104 pitches, 71 of them strikes.
Now the defending champions must win Game 6 on Friday in Toronto to force a winner-take-all Game 7 at Rogers Centre.
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Despite having only three starts and 14 innings of regular season work on his resume, the right-hander from Pottstown, Penn., was in full control in Game 5. He struck out each of the nine Dodgers in the starting lineup. No pitcher in World Series history had struck out 12 batters in a game without issuing a walk.
Only two others had 11 strikeouts with no walks in a Fall Classic game: Clayton Kershaw ( Game 1 in 2017) and Don Newcombe (Game 1 1949). Two others had 10 strikeouts without a walk – Cliff Lee (Game 1 2009) and Deacon Phillippe (Game 1 1903).
Yesavage, 22, is one of the most unlikely stories of the 2025 World Series. He began the season at Class A Dunedin of the Florida State League.
Quick rise
His talent is no surprise, though. Yesavage was drafted 20th overall last year out of East Carolina University. He was 5-1 with a 3.12 ERA over 25 minor-league starts combined between Low Class A, High Class A, Class AA and Class AAA this year.
His poise on the mound is hardly that of a rookie, which he will still be considered as next season.
“Yeah, it’s been a crazy year, but being surrounded by vets is a great thing for the future of my career,” he said. “They have treated me the best I could have ever asked for. So going forward with other rookies that come up, I’m going to remember how I was treated when I got here. The poise part, I don’t know, you got to thank my parents.”
The Dodgers never overcame the home runs Davis Schneider and Guerrero hit to start the game. Kiké Hernandez cut the deficit in half with a solo home run in the third inning, but that was all from Los Angeles’ sputtering offense.
“It was massive,” Yesavage says of the two home runs. “Those guys set the tone, put us in control early.”
Guerrero, who has a team-leading eight home runs this postseason, isn’t taking anything for granted.
“Obviously this hasn’t finished,” he said. “Obviously there’s no reason to be excited yet. We’ll take advantage of today’s game. We’ll get home to rest and then try to win the next game.”
Juan Beltran
Contributor
Juan Beltran, who immigrated to the United States from El Salvador at 5 years old, is an experienced broadcast journalist
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