Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
The Toronto Blue Jays couldn’t pull off a two-night sweep, losing to the Dodgers 5-1 in Game 2 of the World Series.
Veteran Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman and Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto were locked in a fascinating pitchers’ duel through first six innings of play.
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Gausman had retired 17 straight Dodgers batters going into the seventh, disposing of their fearsome lineup with a pair of six-pitch innings and a seven-pitch frame. Those 17 in a row were the second-most in Blue Jays post-season history behind only David Price, who retired 18 consecutive batters in Game 2 of the 2015 ALCS.
It fell apart quickly, though, with home runs by Will Smith and Max Muncy and Toronto reliever Louis Varland took over the mound, with Gausman retired at six and two-thirds.
Varland returned to the mound for Toronto at the top of the eighth. The mistakes made in that inning were the type the Jays have managed to avoid all season. The team intentionally walked Freddie Freeman, which reloaded the bases, allowing Shohei Ohtani to score on the same play.
Reliever Braydon Fisher took the mound for Toronto in the ninth. He walked Muncy on four pitches, to put a runner on base with no one out.
Gausman began the game with an impressive 2.00 ERA through 18 postseason innings, having limited opponents by forcing weak contact and relying on his favourite pitch, a deceptive splitter.
The always dangerous Yamamoto had an even better 1.83 ERA across 19.2 playoff innings, pitching a complete game in Game 2 of the NLCS.
The intense pitcher again pitched a complete game on Saturday night, ending up with a pitch count of 105. Yamamoto retired the last 20 batters he faced, allowing just five base runners and striking out eight without a walk.
After returning from a knee sprain suffered on Sept. 6. to play in Game 1, infielder Bo Bichette was not included in the starting lineup, but came into the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh before grounding out and he finished the game playing second base
On Friday, Bichette played at second base for the first time in his career, while registering a hit and a walk.
Isaih Kiner-Falefa was started at second base, and Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes started in the outfield after both came on as pinch-hitters in Game 1, where Barger made World Series pinch-hit history by breaking the game open in the sixth inning.
The Blue Jays ended up crushing the Dodgers and scoring an 11-4 victory.
The winner of Game 1 has gone on to win the World Series 64.2 per cent of the time, according to MLB stats, but passionate Blue Jays fans think their team has even better odds.
Dodger Stadium in L.A. is the venue for Game 3 on Monday, and veteran pitcher Max Scherzer will startfor the Jays — his fourth career appearance in the Fall Classic.
The 41-year-old three-time Cy Young winner called the opportunity “everything,” cherishing another shot on baseball’s biggest stage.
Manager John Schneider said Scherzer’s experience and intensity make him ideal for the high-pressure start, keeping him available for a potential Game 7.
Schneider also said that it’s been a joy to manage the intense pitcher, who has earned the nickname “Mad Max” over his career for his fiery outbursts on and off the field.
The Dodgers will counter with Tyler Glasnow, while and Shane Bieber is slated to start Game 4 for Toronto on Tuesday, also in L.A.
Game 5 will also be played in Los Angeles on Wednesday. If a Game 6 is then needed, action will return to Toronto on Friday, Oct. 31, with any possible Game 7 again in Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 1.
All game are broadcast live on CKOM and CJME.
— with files from Canadian Press
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