Toronto Blue Jays rout LA Dodgers 11-4

TORONTO — Addison Barger pitched the first grand slam in World Series history, Alejandro Kirk added a two-run blast in a nine-run sixth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in Game 1 Friday night.

“It’s the epitome of our offense,” said Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement, who hit a game-clinching single in the sixth. “It’s a collective effort and everyone does their job.”

Daulton Varsho began the Blue Jays’ comeback from a 2-0 deficit with a two-run drive in the fourth against two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.

“I faced him many times. He obviously dominated me,” Varsho said. “He’s one of those guys where you have to give your best and whatever happens, happens.”

The barrage of long balls was fitting as the Fall Classic returned to Toronto for the first time since 1993, when Joe Carter hit the second home run to end a World Series. And in an unusual connection to that evening 32 years ago, Varsho is named after Darren Daulton, the Philadelphia Phillies catcher whom Mitch Williams was throwing when Carter connected.

Shohei Ohtani hit his first series home run for the heavily favored Dodgers, looking to become the first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three straight titles from 1998 to 2000. The Dodgers were trailing by nine when he grounded away from Braydon Fisher for a two-run shot in the seventh, his fourth homer in two games.

Angry Ohtani fans rebuffed the Blue Jays from signing a $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December 2023 by chanting, “We don’t need you!” when he came to the plate in the ninth.

“They bring it every night,” Clement said. “The last few months, honestly, they’ve sold this place out and given us a ton of energy. We’re lucky to have these fans.”

The second game of the best-of-seven series will take place Saturday evening at the Rogers Center.

Playing on a bye week following their National League Championship Series sweep, the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead against 22-year-old rookie Trey Yesavage on RBI singles by Kiké Hernández in the second and Will Smith in the third.

Yesavage made his fourth playoff start – one more than his career regular season total. At 22 years and 88 days old, he became the second youngest pitcher to start a World Series opener behind Brooklyn’s Ralph Branca at 21 years and 267 days in 1947 at Yankee Stadium.

Yesavage made a few key pitches in his four innings, leaving the bases loaded in the second by retiring Ohtani on a groundout and stranding a runner at third the next inning when he struck out Max Muncy.

Seranthony Domínguez earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of no-hit action.

Varsho’s homer was the first against Snell by a left-handed hitter since Juan Soto connected for the Yankees on June 2 of last year. Snell allowed a career-high five hits in shifts and allowed five runs, eight hits and three walks in five-plus innings.

“Blake just didn’t have good command of the fastball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There were just a few bad walks in there.”

Snell started the Series for the first time since 2020 with the Tampa Bay Rays, when he was pulled in the sixth inning of Game 6 while pitching a shutout against the Dodgers. Los Angeles rallied around the Rays bullpen for its first championship since 1988.

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The Dodgers are now aiming for their third title in six years.

Following a seven-game ALCS against the Seattle Mariners that ended Monday, the Blue Jays got 14 hits and key contributions from Bo Bichette and Varsho, who combined with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to become the first trio of sons of former major league players to start for a team in a series game.

Returning from a sprained left knee that had kept him sidelined since September 6, Bichette played second base for the first time in six years and favored the knee. He singled in the first, went to the left side of the infield to field a grounder and save a run, then with the score 2-2, he got a complete walk from Snell starting in the sixth.

Twelve batters went to the plate in the inning. Clement singled reliever Emmet Sheehan for a 3-2 lead, pinch hitter Nathan Lukes drew a charged walk and Andrés Giménez added an RBI single.

Barger greeted left-hander Anthony Banda with a 413-foot drive to right center on a hanging slider to give Toronto a 9-2 lead.

“Just a blackout moment. Just crazy,” Barger said. “I was choking up a little bit, just trying to get the ball in the air and run.”

Kirk, who hit the right field wall one pitch before Varsho’s home run, added his fourth home run of the postseason.

“We just didn’t make shots when we needed to to keep this game close,” Roberts said. “We have to be better.”

To be continued

Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman start Saturday night. Yamamoto won Game 2 of the Series last year, allowing a run and a hit in 6 1/3 innings in a 4-2 win over the Yankees and is coming off the first postseason complete game in eight years, a three-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers. Gausman will make his debut in the series.