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No team had opened a World Series game with back-to-back home runs in the 121-year history of the Fall Classic, at least until Wednesday. Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the game with consecutive first-inning home runs, and the Toronto Blue Jays never looked back in their 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium. Guerrero’s home run was his eighth of the postseason, which pulled him into a tie with Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead. He and Schneider helped back starter Trey Yesavage, who became the fourth pitcher in MLB history — joining the likes of Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson, plus Carl Erskine — as the only pitcher to strike out at least 12 in a World Series game and win. The Blue Jays lead the best-of-7 series 3-2 and can sew up their third World Series title, and first since 1993, with a win in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday at Rogers Centre. No Team Had Ever Led Off A World Series Game With Back-to-Back Home Runs Derek Jeter homered on the first pitch he saw in Game 4 of the 2000 World Series, and he was the only player to ever truly ambush a pitcher on the first pitch of a World Series game until Schneider. Schneider, who has only started two games in the World Series while platooning with Nathan Lukes, is an unlikely candidate for a home run at any point in a World Series game. He has just 32 home runs in 822 regular-season plate appearances and had not hit a home run since Sept. 11 against the Houston Astros. Plus, Schneider only led off seven games for the Blue Jays during the regular season, which coincidentally included two games at Dodger Stadium during their series there in August. Plus, Dodgers ace Blake Snell had not allowed a first-inning run all postseason. Schneider was only filling in for DH, and regular leadoff hitter George Springer, who missed his second straight game with right-side tightness. But he set the tone by muscling a 97 mph fastball 373 feet off Snell to put Toronto on top before many fans had settled gotten settled into their seats. “You have to be ready to hit when [Snell] comes over the middle of the plate,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “That was the approach going in, to be ready to hit.” Vladimir Guerrero Is The Favorite To Win World Series MVP There’s a case to be made for Yesavage, who flummoxed the Dodgers in Game 1 and made history in his pivotal victory. Plus, Ohtani is doing things that have never been done before in the postseason. But Guerrero has carried the Blue Jays, both in swagger and performance, throughout the postseason — and into the World Series against the heavily favored reigning champs. So after Schneider parked Snell’s first pitch over the wall, Guerrero deposited the lefty ace’s third pitch into the Dodgers bullpen for a solo homer that made it 2-0. “That was a good start for us, you know, to get a little two-run cushion for Trey in this environment,” Schneider said. It was Guerrero’s second World Series home run in as many nights, and his 1 for 3 performance boosted his Fall Classic batting average to .363 with six runs scored and three runs batted in. “It was massive,” Yesavage said of the home runs. “Those guys set the tone, put us in control early and we didn’t lose that.” So it’s no surprise the team’s emotional leader, and ALCS MVP, is the favorite to win the World Series award — especially with Toronto missing Springer and playing with infielder Bo Bichette heavily compromised with a knee injury.
