Trey Yesavages Game 5 gem puts Blue Jays one win away from World Series crown

LOS ANGELES — As vaunted as this Dodgers starting rotation — headed by Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — was as this World Series began, it’s the Blue Jays now on the cusp of a championship because of proficiency in that area. Trey Yesavage’s legend only grew Wednesday night as the rookie, who began the season pitching in Single-A, tamed the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series.It’s the Blue Jays’ series to lose heading home following a 6-1 victory over the defending champions at Dodger Stadium. Yesavage set a World Series rookie record with 12 strikeouts on a night he allowed one earned run on three hits over seven innings. “Historic stuff when you talk about that stage and those numbers,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

“He was 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 to be in the zone and get some swing and miss.” Yesavage’s dominance followed Shane Bieber’s strong start into the sixth inning a night earlier, when he allowed one earned run. A talented Dodgers lineup has scored only four runs over the last 29 innings.

That includes Monday, when the team went 10 innings without scoring until Freddie Freeman’s homer in the 18th won it. Yesavage didn’t debut in the major leagues for the Blue Jays until Sept.15, but has emerged as a force.

His list of credits has included an 11-strikeout performance against the Yankees in the ALDS.He was also the winning pitcher against the Mariners in Game 6 of the ALCS. “It’s been a crazy year, but being surrounded by the veterans is a great thing for the future of my career,” Yesavage said. The Blue Jays moved within a victory of the franchise’s first World Series title since 1993.

If the Dodgers need inspiration, they can look toward the Blue Jays, who were in a 3-2 series hole against the Mariners in the ALCS before rallying to win the pennant.But if the Dodgers are to finish business in this series...