Blue Jays bring World Series back to Toronto with the lead, the momentum and all the good vibes

LOS ANGELES– I did something earlier Wednesday that I’ve never done before: I changed my choice. At noon ET on CBS Sports HQ at noon ET, I said the Dodgers would win Game 5 of the World Series. Six hours later, back at CBS Sports headquarters from Dodger Stadium, I said I had changed my mind and was taking the Blue Jays. After the success, a colleague asked me who I thought would win the series. And I said I’m thinking of the Blue Jays. Before the series started, I predicted that the Dodgers would win in five.

Now, after a 6-1 Blue Jays win in Game 5, I’m sold on the Blue Jays. They have this series.

There’s been a total change in vibe for me and a lot of that is based on the grit the Blue Jays continue to show. There is an almost palpable feeling in the clubhouse. Of course, every team that’s been to the World Series has said similar things and every team that gets here believes they’re going to win it. But there is a feeling that is difficult to describe. This Blue Jays team feels like they just won’t be denied.

After Game 4, Ernie Clement quoted former U.S. hockey coach Herb Brooks in the clubhouse, saying the Jays were an “outstanding team of men.” These rare men, Clement argued, believe they are the best team in baseball.

An excited Max Scherzer dismissed the idea that the team was heartbroken after Game 3 like everyone thought.

“What we saw from everyone in this clubhouse gave us reason to believe in each other. We responded in a big way,” he said.

“I think these guys are saying right now that they earned it, and I think they really believe it,” manager John Schneider said before Wednesday’s Game 5. “It’s kind of like when Ernie said, I like our chances in the ALCS when we were down 3-2, I think that’s what they sincerely believe and I like their confidence.”

There has been a lot of adversity, but they respond every time.

If they haven’t lost this series yet, they simply won’t lose it.

They lost one of their best hitters, George Springer, to injury; he hasn’t played since leaving Game 3 early. They use a guy who only returned from Tommy John surgery in August into the rotation alongside a rookie who made just three MLB starts before the postseason. They have a patchwork enclosure. There is a 31-year-old rookie in Nathan Lukes, who spent 10 years in the minors. Bo Bichette plays injured. Their big offseason addition, Anthony Santander, was a relative failure in the regular season and is now injured and out. They lost the first two games of the ALCS at home and still won the series. They fell behind 2-1 in the World Series after a heartbreaking 18-inning loss in Game 3. Now they lead 3-2. And they return home, where they were 54-27 this season. Including the playoffs, that home record improves to 59-30, the best mark in all of baseball.

The aforementioned rookie, 22-year-old Trey Yesavage, completely dominated the Dodgers offense in Game 5. He was breathtaking. He was heavy with his excellent slider and, as usual, used the splitter as his out pitch. He got 10 hits on the splitter, including seven whiffs. In all, he struck out 12 Dodgers, breaking the rookie record in a World Series game. Coincidentally, it was Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe who previously held the record (1949 Game 1).

“Being a 22-year-old rookie and having that weight on your shoulders, it’s a big deal,” Yesavage said Tuesday. “But everyone in this clubhouse supports me.”

Yesavage allowed only three hits in Game 5; two of them were infield singles. He had never thrown a pitch in the seventh inning in a start, not even in the minors. He completed seven innings in this one. It was masterful.

What about Davis Schneider? He had only started four playoff games so far out of 15 Blue Jays playoff games. He had not taken the lead in the ranking. He was thrown on the spot, in part because of Springer’s injury. He homered on the first pitch of the game against two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell. It’s just a next man up mentality on this team. Clement and Addison Barger and Daulton Varsho and Andrés Giménez and, well, just about everyone. Isiah Kiner-Falefa even had an RBI single in this one.

Of course, there was also the superstar, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who hit a home run right after Schneider. It was the first time in history that a team hit consecutive home runs to start a World Series game. Snell had never allowed two first-inning homers in his career before, so this was a double dose of history.

It was a special start to the match, followed by a special performance from Yesavage. This is a special team.

By the way, Snell was on a monster period of dominance before the World Series. The Blue Jays pounced on him twice this series. He allowed 10 runs on 14 hits in 11 ⅔ innings. That’s a 7.71 ERA. In his previous three postseason starts, he had a 0.86 ERA.

The Jays simply cannot be stopped. The team that led the majors in batting average during the regular season and can also hit for power is relentless, even short a few guys due to injuries. It was exposed in Games 4 and 5. They will string together big home runs, but will also string together hits and make you pay for your mistakes.

Take the third round. The Dodgers had just cut the lead to 2-1. Daulton Varsho sent a shot down the right field line. It was clearly a hit, but Teoscar Hernández misplayed it into a triple. Varsho then scored immediately on a sac fly. They simply find ways to punish their opponents. Again and again. A single and a walk both scored in the seventh inning, making the lead 5-1. A wild pitch contributed to a run in the eighth. They also hit 27 home runs in 16 playoff games. They attack from all angles.

To reiterate, yes, every World Series team should believe in themselves, but there is an air about these Jays. Just look at the other dugout. Did the Dodgers look like a hungry team fighting for its life in Game 5 or did they look lifeless? Part of that is Yesavage’s dominant pitching, but the Dodgers have made plenty of mistakes on the pitching and defensive sides.

Look, the Dodgers could very well still win this series by rebounding and looking like the elite version of themselves. They could win two games in Toronto. Would anyone be shocked? I just don’t think it will happen. I think the Blue Jays have this series. They are in control at the moment and only need to win one game from two chances at home.

It won’t take two. Blue Jays in six. I was wrong before the series, but I’m tired of being wrong about this unusual group of men. They will soon be crowned World Series champions.