TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have had to deal with the biggest home run hitters in the sport this postseason.
First, it was Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, who hit 53 regular-season home runs. Then, it was Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners in the AL Championship Series, who mashed 60 in the regular season.
Next comes Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani (55 regular-season homers) as Toronto welcomes Los Angeles for the World Series starting Friday night.
The Blue Jays held Judge to one homer in the ALDS while Raleigh connected on four in the ALCS. Ohtani has five home runs so far this postseason — including three in the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series clincher against Milwaukee. Blue Jays manager John Schneider will juggle his pitching staff, particularly his three left-handed relievers, to try to limit Ohtani’s impact.
“I think they will all kind of be part of the puzzle,” Schneider said on Thursday. “I think you must be very mindful of when the top of the order is coming around, right? We’ve talked at length about how to treat it, we’ve talked at length about when to do this, and you’ve got to read the situation. … They have three Hall of Famers at the top of their lineup.”
Schneider was referring to Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman along with Ohtani, who also struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ Game 4 NLCS clincher.
“So you’ve got to pick your poison a little bit,” Schneider said, “but you look at Game 4 of the NLCS, I think we’re talking about a totally different kind of animal here that can do things on the field that not many people can do, with all the respect in the world for Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh.”
Ohtani signed as a free agent with the Dodgers before the 2024 season. The Blue Jays also pursued him.
“When we met with him, you felt good about it,” Schneider said. “I hope he brought his hat, the Blue Jays hat that he took from us in our meeting … and the jacket for (his dog) Decoy.”
Later Thursday, Ohtani told reporters that his Toronto hat is still in his garage back at home.
“I really had a wonderful time getting to know them as an entire organization,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “And the impression that I got is that they were very top-class, awesome people. And so in that circumstance that we get to play against them, against a superb organization, is something I’m really looking forward to.”
–Schneider said rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.20 ERA in the postseason) will start Game 1 against the Dodgers’ Blake Snell (3-0, 0.86). Kevin Gausman, who started Games 1 and 5 in the ALCS, was used in relief in Game 7 so it will be determined whether he will start Game 2 or 3. Chris Bassitt, another starter, also was used in relief in Game 7. “Likely, Chris will stay in the bullpen, and we’ll figure out the best spots for him,” Schneider said. “But he has, I think, thrown the ball really well and is in a good spot physically and mentally.” Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, 1.83 ERA) is scheduled to start Game 2 for the Dodgers.
–Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Clayton Kershaw will make the team’s World Series roster. “I would love to get Clayton in there at some point, but I’m going to pitch the best players I feel are the best in that particular moment. If it happens, that’d be great,” Roberts said of the 37-year-old former MVP and three-time Cy Young Award winner. Kershaw has made just one appearance in these playoffs, shelled for five runs (four earned) on six hits over two innings of relief in an NLDS Game 3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. On Aug. 8, Kershaw started opposite one of his contemporaries, Toronto’s Max Scherzer, and tossed six innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 victory.
–This is the fifth time since the League Championship Series changed to a best-of-seven format in 1985 that one series was a four-game sweep (Los Angeles over Milwaukee), and one went the maximum seven games (Toronto over Seattle). The team taking the LCS in seven games won the World Series all four previous times — the 2012 San Francisco Giants, the 2007 Boston Red Sox, the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1988 Dodgers.
–Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly has had a distinguished career as a player, coach, and manager, but this will be his first World Series. “Donnie was my favorite player growing up,” Schneider said. “I think everyone kind of knows that. So, to have him here in his first World Series with me is unbelievably special. But he’s done so many things behind the scenes to help get the staff prepared and to really help the players get prepared for how we’re rolling out our lineup.”
–This is the first World Series for Schneider and Mattingly, but the fifth for Roberts. He is the 16th manager to make at least five World Series appearances and the first in the modern era to guide one franchise to five World Series berths in his first 10 seasons. The Dodgers’ roster also boasts far more World Series experience than the Blue Jays. “Some part of it, you could argue that the (Blue Jays’) naivete, the inexperience, is a good thing, but I feel that the ability to manage moments, your heartbeat, is advantageous,” Roberts said. “Especially in a seven-game series.”
