For the first time in 32 years, the Toronto Blue Jays tasted World Series glory — and they did it in spectacular fashion. The Blue Jays stormed back from an early deficit to dominate the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night, sending the Rogers Centre crowd into absolute frenzy.
Trailing 2-0 heading into the fourth, the Jays’ fortunes changed when Dalton Varsho smashed a game-tying home run. What followed in the sixth inning was one of the most explosive moments in franchise history.
Monster Sixth Inning Changes Everything
Utility man Ernie Clement redeemed an earlier base-running error with a clutch RBI single to give Toronto the lead. From there, the floodgates opened — the Jays piled on two more runs before Addison Barger delivered a pinch-hit grand slam, the first ever in World Series history.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk capped the nine-run frame with a two-run homer, pushing Toronto’s advantage to 11-2.
Ohtani’s Homer Not Enough
Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani answered with a towering two-run home run in the seventh inning, but by then the damage was done. Toronto’s bullpen held firm as Eric Lauer struck out Mookie Betts to seal the victory.
The loss was rare for Los Angeles, who had dropped just one postseason game before Friday. Starting pitcher Blake Snell began strong but faltered in the sixth, surrendering five earned runs before being pulled.
A Historic Edge for Toronto
The Game 1 victory could be pivotal: according to MLB, 23 of the last 27 World Series winners have taken the opener. The Dodgers, who swept Milwaukee in the NLCS, may now be facing an ominous trend — teams that sweep their league championship series are 0-5 against opponents who went the distance, as the Jays did versus Seattle.
Rookie starter Trey Yesavage impressed in his World Series debut, striking out five over four innings and setting the tone for Toronto’s confidence-filled night.
Momentum Swings North
With a record-breaking performance and a city reawakened to baseball fever, Toronto has taken a commanding psychological edge in the series.
As the Blue Jays look ahead to Game 2, one thing is certain — the echoes of that sixth inning will be remembered across Canada for years to come.
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