World Series Game 1 of 2025 opened in Toronto, with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers visiting the host Toronto Blue Jays. The starting matchup was headline-worthy on its own: the Dodgers sent 32-year-old Blake Snell, while the Jays started Trey Yesavage, age 22—a nearly cross-generation duel with a 10-year gap.
Coming in, Snell’s postseason form was ace-level: three starts, 21 innings, a 3–0 record, and a 0.86 ERA—the Dodgers’ most trustworthy starter at the moment. Yesavage’s tale sits at the other extreme: called up only in mid-September, 15 postseason innings with a 4.20 ERA and a 2–1 record. Last summer’s first-round pick even opened this year in Low-A, but his strikeout stuff rocketed him through the system and onto the World Series G1 assignment.
The Dodgers scored first in the early frames. Top 2, Will Smith drew a walk, then Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández, and Tommy Edman strung together hits for a 1–0 lead. In the 3rd, Yesavage’s command wobbled: back-to-back walks to Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman set the table, and Smith singled to make it 2–0.
Even so, while the rookie allowed traffic, LA didn’t blow it open. Yesavage’s finish pitches were good in key moments—he kept the ball on the ground and suppressed extra-base damage, holding the line to “give up runs but not collapse.”
Toronto’s counterpunch began in the bottom of the 4th. Alejandro Kirk singled, and Daulton Varsho ripped a clutch two-run homer to tie it 2–2.
The true turning point came in the 6th. Snell was at 84 pitches, had been laboring to control the tempo, and now faced Toronto’s hot 4-5-6. He didn’t retire a batter in the inning. The Dodgers went to the pen, but the dam burst—Toronto batted around and piled up nine runs.
That avalanche included a grand slam by pinch-hitter Addison Barger and a two-run shot by Alejandro Kirk, blowing it open to 11–2 and effectively deciding G1 right there.
LA’s last push came top 7: Shohei Ohtani launched a two-run homer to trim it to 11–4, at least staving off a total shutdown. But the Blue Jays’ bullpen finished cleanly and allowed no further scoring.
Final: Blue Jays 11, Dodgers 4. Toronto leads the series 1–0 and delights the home crowd. Two pillars defined the win: (1) Yesavage’s in-game adjustments and his “bend but don’t break” survival against LA’s thunder; and (2) the 6th-inning barrage against Snell and the Dodgers’ pen—from Varsho to Kirk to Barger’s slam—that decided the game in one frame.
Postgame highlights: video via MLB’s official YouTube.
Below is the outline for this two-part G1 analysis series (10 sections total):
Part 1 — Game flow & player performance
1️⃣ Lineup strategy for both teams
2️⃣ Blue Jays SP — Trey Yesavage performance review
3️⃣ Dodgers SP — Blake Snell performance review
4️⃣ Bullpens: both teams in G1
Part 2 — Tactics, next steps & wrap-up
5️⃣ Offense (both teams)
6️⃣ Baserunning (both teams)
7️⃣ Defense (both teams)
8️⃣ Dugout tactics & in-game moves (both teams)
9️⃣ G2 projected starters & lineup tweaks
🔟 Summary
Ready? Let’s dive into every detail of this pivotal G1.
1️⃣ Lineup Strategy: Starters & Intent
Los Angeles Dodgers — Starting Nine
DODGERS
1 DH Shohei Ohtani (L)
2 SS Mookie Betts (R)
3 1B Freddie Freeman (L)
4 C Will Smith (R)
5 RF Teoscar Hernández (R)
6 3B Max Muncy (L)
7 LF Kiké Hernández (R)
8 2B Tommy Edman (S)
9 CF Andy Pages (R)
SP Blake Snell (LHP)
LA started 3 pure lefties, 1 switch, 5 righties. The top three remained consistent with recent games (Ohtani/Betts/Freeman)—a trusted trio even against the rookie right-hander Yesavage. The logic: leverage Ohtani and Freeman’s lefty thump versus a righty, with Betts’ OBP/discipline bridging rallies and creating first-inning scoring scripts.
The middle: Will Smith 4th and Teoscar Hernández 5th. Smith’s been hot and is trusted with RISP (reg-season RISP .337, .973 OPS); Teoscar adds middle-order punch and clean-the-bases potential.
At 6th, Max Muncy (L) breaks up two righties and sustains the zig-zag pattern manager Dave Roberts prefers, complicating opposing bullpen moves. Kiké Hernández 7th offers postseason clutch history. Tommy Edman (S) 8th brings OBP and tactical flexibility to feed the top. Andy Pages 9th remains for defense (especially CF range) despite a cold bat (pre-game postseason .086/.279), reflecting LA’s trust in his glove while limiting his offensive exposure.
Toronto Blue Jays — Starting Nine
BLUE JAYS
1 DH George Springer (R)
2 LF Davis Schneider (R)
3 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R)
4 2B Bo Bichette (R)
5 C Alejandro Kirk (R)
6 CF Daulton Varsho (L)
7 3B Ernie Clement (R)
8 RF Myles Straw (R)
9 SS Andrés Giménez (L)
SP Trey Yesavage (RHP)
With LA starting the lefty ace Snell, Toronto leaned hard to right-handed bats (7 of 9), keeping lefties Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger on the bench to time matchup pinch-hits—indeed, Barger later blasted a grand slam.
George Springer led off for his October experience and pop. Davis Schneider (reg-season 127 wRC+) hit 2nd to form a right-right surge designed to crack Snell early and maximize run-creation behind Springer.
The 3–5 core: Guerrero Jr. (3rd), Bichette (4th), Kirk (5th)—Toronto’s middle-order engine. Guerrero is the “fixed three-hole,” blending power and approach. Fresh off injury, Bichette (reg .311, 134 wRC+) slotted 4th to protect Vlad, signaling trust in his timing. Kirk dropped to 5th as “down-order protection”—and delivered (single early, 2-run HR late).
Varsho—one of only two LHBs—hit 6th. Against a lefty like Snell, the Jays moved him down from his usual 5-spot to reduce early L-L exposure and let the righty core apply pressure first.
Ernie Clement 7th has been one of Toronto’s hottest postseason bats (.429 pre-game); placing him behind Varsho both sustains back-half pressure and discourages soft-pitching Varsho. Myles Straw 8th offered defense and a right-handed look versus Snell; offensive ceiling is modest, but role-fit matters. Andrés Giménez 9th (the other LHB) owns speed and clutch flashes (ALCS .842 OPS), acting as a “second leadoff” from the bottom. He remained at SS, while returning Bichette moved to 2B to reduce defensive burden post-injury and keep the middle infield steady.
2️⃣ Blue Jays SP — Trey Yesavage: Performance Review
Line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, 0 HR, 80 pitches (44 strikes, 55.0% strike rate).
Outs: 5 groundouts, 1 flyout, rest K’s. Command stability: below average.
Pitch mix (by usage):
- Four-seam fastball: 38 (47.5%)
- Slider: 32 (40.0%)
- Splitter: 10 (12.5%)
He leaned a bit more on the four-seamer than in the regular season (47.5% vs 45.2%), but velo dipped to 93.9 mph (vs 94.7), so raw life was a touch down. Command wavered—particularly on high fastballs missing too high; chase rate out of zone just 14%, well below league norms, which cost him counts and inflated pitch totals.
The slider was featured to attack a righty-heavy LA lineup (even switch-hitter Edman batted right). Overall whiff rate hit 40% (up from his 30.8% reg-season), showing the FB/SL tunnel did fool hitters at times, but 3 of LA’s 4 hits came off sliders. Both slider velo and spin trailed his averages, reducing bite and allowing LA to adjust in second looks. Notably, his regular-season slider already carried a potential weakness (.286 BA against).
The surprise was the sharp drop in splitter usage (12.5% vs 26.4% in reg-season). With command shaky overall and splitter being a feel-heavy, high-variance pitch, he went conservative to avoid free passes. The trade-off: fewer speed/shape separations to disrupt barrels. Short-term, he survived 4 innings “without breaking”; strategically, it limited a potentially higher-whiff path against LA’s righties.
Battery plan with C Alejandro Kirk (selected innings)
T1: Against Ohtani/Betts/Freeman, FB/SL executed the plan, nicking edges and going three-up, three-down to set tone.
T2: Upped slider rate and sprinkled splitters vs the lower order, but too many first-pitch balls forced count-evening heaters; walks/traffic led to runs.
T3: Second trip through top order—more traffic (Betts/Freeman walks, Smith RBI). A key adjustment: introduced more splitters to Muncy, netting a strikeout to cap the threat.
T4: His cleanest frame—9 pitches, 2 K. Elevated FBs at the top paired with down-zone breakers created vertical separation, restoring rhythm.
3️⃣ Dodgers SP — Blake Snell: Performance Review
Line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 HR; loss (first of this postseason).
Pre-game postseason line: 21 IP, 2 ER (0.86 ERA), 28 K, 5 BB.
He generated 4 groundouts and 4 flyouts, with twin double plays (3rd & 5th) to contain early damage. But he unraveled to start the 6th—didn’t retire a batter, and inherited runners all scored, flipping the game.
Strike ratio: 62/100 (62.0%)—fine, but below his earlier crispness.
Pitch mix:
- Four-seam: 37% (avg 95.7 mph, +0.6 vs reg-season)
- Changeup: 28% (usage +4.4 pts vs reg-season 23.6%)
- Curveball: 19%
- Slider: 16%
Four-seam: Velo up but too many middle-up locations; chase just 11.8%—not enough edge pressure, less deception.
Changeup: Usage rose vs a righty-heavy Jays lineup, but whiff only 15.8% (vs reg-season 43.5%). Too many changeups crept higher or into the middle; separation from the heater wasn’t stark enough, so Jays timed it.
Curveball: Velo/spin looked good (81.2 mph, 2620 rpm vs 2517 avg), but command scattered—some too high/too low, a few leaked middle. Result: zero whiffs on a pitch that posted 45.7% whiff in season—huge drop.
Slider: The lone bright spot. 90.0 mph (up 1.8), 50% whiff (5/10), targeted especially vs lefties (46% use vs LHB, 7% vs RHB), and it worked in those pockets.
Battery plan with C Will Smith (selected innings)
B1: Heavy heaters vs five straight righties to open; velo strong but misses up/middle and changeups in hittable lanes loaded the bases. A curveball focus vs LHB Varsho helped escape.
B2: Smart adjustment—fewer heaters, more CH/CU below the zone; 7 pitches, 1-2-3.
B3: Second looks at 2–4 hitters; leaned on changeups. Guerrero Jr. singled, but induced a 4–6–3 from Bichette to end it.
B4: A high heater that didn’t climb enough turned into a Kirk wall-ball single; then Varsho punished a low-middle FB for a 2-run HR (2–2). Snell regrouped to limit further damage.
B5: Third looks—mixed in more sliders to disrupt Vlad’s timing; got him to roll over to second.
B6: At 84 pitches, faced 4–6 again. Bichette calmly walked, Kirk singled a slider, then a misfired high-inside FB hit Varsho (full count). Bases loaded, none out. Snell exited; all three runners later scored. The inning swung the game and underscored Toronto’s second/third-time adjustments and selection discipline.
4️⃣ Bullpens — G1 Snapshot
Blue Jays
Top 5, Toronto pulled Yesavage and went to LHP Mason Fluharty to attack the top (Ohtani/Freeman L, Betts R). Plan worked: only Betts singled; the lefties were retired. With two outs, Seranthony Domínguez came in to face Will Smith and got a flyout. He threw just one pitch in the 5th and worked the 6th, striking out both Hernández hitters (Teoscar and Kiké) in a clean 1.1 innings—key bridge work.
Up 11–2 in the 7th, Braydon Fisher entered, walked Edman, then grooved a curveball that Ohtani crushed for two. He settled to fan two; the stuff is there when in the zone—useful reps in a low-leverage spot.
In the 8th, Chris Bassitt (regular-season starter now long relief) faced four, fanned two, walked one, got a groundout—scoreless frame. He’s now at 3.2 postseason innings, 0.00 ERA—valuable length/settler.
In the 9th, Eric Lauer (swingman) walked Ohtani but retired the other three. With two outs and a man on, Betts whiffed on a biting outside cutter for the final out.
Dodgers
Bottom 6, tie game 2–2, bases loaded, none out after Snell’s exit. Emmet Sheehan was summoned but the fireman role failed: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 ER (plus inherited), retiring only Springer. With Alex Vesia unavailable (family matter), options were thin.
Anthony Banda followed to face lefty Addison Barger… and Barger crushed a grand slam to right for 9–2. Later that inning Kirk added a two-run shot for 11–2—Toronto’s nine-spot broke LA’s back.
In the 7th, Justin Wrobleski steadied things (14 pitches, 1-2-3 vs 7–9). In the 8th, hard-throwing Will Klein—a new face on the WS roster alongside Edgardo Henriquez to cover Vesia’s absence—allowed one hit but no runs.
LA still fell 4–11 and trails the series 0–1.
(Next Up — Part 2/2)
We’ll continue with deep dives on both teams’ offense, baserunning, defense, dugout tactics, plus G2 projected starters and probable lineup adjustments, then a full summary of G1.
Sources
MLB.com • FanGraphs • Baseball Savant
(Plus a few nuggets shared by friends in a baseball group—thanks!)
A Fan's MLB Insight 
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