The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off the World Series with a brutal 11-4 loss against the Toronto Blue Jay on Friday night.
The Blue Jays dominated the game behind a historic sixth inning to put the game away.
More news: Shohei Ohtani Had NLCS MVP Trophy Changed to Represent Dodgers’ Team Effort
World Series Game 1 Recap
Things started off a little tense for the Dodgers who had dropped just one game so far during this postseason run before the World Series. The Blue Jays got started with a two-out rally in the first inning against southpaw Blake Snell, who was working with a 0.86 ERA across his three postseason starts thus far.
A walk, single, and another walk loaded up the bases for Toronto, but Snell generated a fly out on his 29th pitch of the inning.
At the top of the next frame, the Dodgers would start to chip away at the Blue Jays, starting with a Will Smith walk. Teoscar Hernández would get on board at the expense of Smith, and a Max Muncy single put two on with one out for Kiké Hernández.
As the utility star has done seemingly his entire career, he delivered in a clutch October moment, collecting an RBI single to put his team up 1-0.
Snell struck out two batters in the bottom of the second en route to another scoreless frame. During the top of the third, a Mookie Betts leadoff walk and Freddie Freeman walk put two on for Smith. The All-Star catcher knocked in a run to make the score 2-0, but that is where the scoring would stop that inning.
The two powerhouses traded zeroes for another inning, but a well-hit single by Alejandro Kirk was followed by a two-run home run from Daulton Varsho in the bottom of the fourth to tie things up.
Betts was left stranded in the top of the fifth, and things remained hitless until the bottom of the sixth. Toronto got to Snell, with a leadoff walk, a single to follow, and eventually knocked him out of the game after he hit a batter to load the bases.
Emmet Sheehan surrendered an RBI single, and walked the next batter to make the deficit 4-2. After allowing another single, it grew to 5-2 with no outs. George Springer grounded out for the first out of the inning, but that would be then end of Sheehan’s night as Anthony Banda replaced him.
Banda allowed a grand slam four pitches later to Addison Barger. It was the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.
To make matters worse, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a single that was followed by a two-run home run from Kirk later that same inning, which also became the highest scoring inning in a World Series game in 57 years.
More news: Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Reveals Why Tanner Scott Was Left Off World Series Roster
With the score now 11-2, Tommy Edman was walked in the seventh and Shohei Ohtani unleashed his first-career World Series home run to cut the embarrassing display to 11-4.
The next couple innings went quick, and the Dodgers now face their first series deficit of the postseason.
When is World Series Game 2?
World Series Game 2 takes place on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PT at the Rogers Centre as the Dodgers will look to even things up.
Photo Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
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17 Responses
embarrassing.
If Pages gets another at bat, everyone is fired! Freakin’ embarrassing!
If Pages gets another at bat in this series, EVERYONE gets fired! Gotta give Alex Call a shot, can’t do worse than an automatic out!
I think we’re all disappointed with Pages – but to hang it squarely and only on him is unreasonable. Not a single player with multiple hits and only 6 for the game. Roberts has a tendency to believe that if he leaves guys in or keeps putting guys in the lineup and shows confidence in them, they will magically work through their difficulties. Snell was clearly off, so starting the 6th with a walk he should have been pulled and not allowed to load the bases. What he did in his 3 prior starts was impressive, but everyone should have clearly seen that wasn’t happening last night. Roberts putting Sheehan with bases loaded and no outs after his poor performance vs. the Reds in the WC round. We needed to get out of the 6th inning by giving up 2 or at most 3 runs. He failed to be the spark and instead, helped ignite the Blue Jays’ bats (9 runs later…).
More examples are constantly putting Tanner Scott in high leverage situations when he kept failing miserably. He has done the same thing over and over with a variety of players, not just this year. Clayton 2023 NLDS game 1; Clayton and Joe Kelly 2019 NLDS game 5; Kimbrel the entire 2022 season in high leverage situations. I could go on. Roberts has earned a lot of leverage because of the magic pulled off last year, but has a soft spot for some players and this “hope they do better” mindset is biting the entire team in a bad way. You can try to fix problems in the regular season, but doing so in a playoff series is pathetic and rarely works. Pages’ defense and arm don’t make up for the epic failures at the plate. The fanbase lost their collective minds all year with Conforto’s constant failings at the plate and he didn’t make any of the post season rosters. This is just really hard to watch.
What in the heck was that ???
Alex Call’s insertion into the line up is way overdue. Pages is choking and if the pitching is going to be less than stellar we need hitters. Pages has been good but he isn’t now and hasn’t been for a month!
Go Jays!!!!!
Great game for the Blue Jays. That 6th inning was astonishing. 15 pitches with 2 strikes and not a single swing and miss. Snell, well actually the entire team, didn’t have it all evening for whatever reason, maybe the 8-day layoff, but we shouldn’t diminish what Toronto did. That was a good old fashioned butt kicking, one like we haven’t seen. Anyone who thought this was going to be a cake walk has not been paying attention. I thought all along the only AL team that could have caused our boys serious problems was Toronto. Everyone needs to step up or this thing will be over quickly. Was that a wakeup call or a sign of more things to come? We’ll find out tonight. Go Dodgers!
Sometimes a little Humble Pie goes a long way. You can’t Win a Series if Pitching isn’t consistent and Strong. Dodgers had opportunities to take command early but failed to Score Runs. Toronto has hitters who are difficult to Strike out, this should Wake up Dodger bats to Learn from. Baseball is a Game of inches. Plate appearances can be awesome with an inch left or right on a pitch. When you See a ball hit directly behind umpire it means an inch higher in swing good solid contact would result. I say pitch Ohtani 2nd game, he seems locked in and one thing we know his pitching can be dominant. Toronto won’t expect this move, it could shake things up a bit. Dodgers must Win game 2. Also try batting Shohei 3-4 so he doesn’t have to switch one side to the other instantly. A little breather so to speak. Besides Shohei does more damage with runners on base.
This??
Good idea or not, we’ll never know as Shohei has not batted 3 or 4 all season, so although I agree he’d be better there, that’s just not going to happen now. And batting leadoff while pitching certainly didn’t seem to be a problem in the NLCS game 4. And all 4 of LAD’s starters have shown throughout the playoffs that they can be dominant. A team like Toronto just keeps coming at you in waves, so they’re formidable. Hopefully our boys view that as an embarrassment and bounce back tonight, no matter who starts or where anyone hits. 6 hits, 6 walks, and 13 strikeouts, not a single player with a multi-hit game for a paltry 4 runs vs. 14 hits, 4 walks, and only 4 strikeouts, 5 players with multi hits, for an astonishing 11 runs. Not giving up after one game, but they need to wake up and right quick at that.
This is the SECOND Grand Slam that Anthony Banda has given up this Year. One was against the Braves in April, and tonite was his SECOND ‘GIFT” I am VERY WORRIED about the Dodgers, because their Bull Pen is essentially UNRELIABLE. If Yamamoto does not pitch into the 8th Inning or EVEN 9th Inning today– the Dodgers might be SUNK. Tonite’s Game is a MUST WIN! And, they totally BLEW several OFFENSIVE chances Yesterday, to open up a wide Scoring Gap,—– which changed the MOMENTUM of the Game. It is time to Bench Pages. He has joined Conforto for WASTED at Bats,— and INSTANT OUTS. Keeping him in the Line-up NOW ,—-gives them an 8 Man Line-up. They need a MORE RELIABLE Bat. His OFFENSE has been ABYSMAL lately.
I am very Concerned about Anthony Banda’s Pitching. Last nite was his second GIFT of a GRAND SLAM this Season. He gave one to the Braves in April. And, tonite, the Game was essentially over, when he gifted that to the Blue Jays. And, before the Dodgers lose another Game,— it is time to Bench PAGES. His Batting is Abysmal and right now– his insertion in the Line-up is giving the Dodgers an 8 Man Line-up and NOT a 9 Man Line-up. He has joined the “RANKS” of Michael Conforto for his HORRIBLE Offense. I know players have Bad Times and need to be given a chance to break out of their Slumps. But right now, the Dodgers can not afford to have Pages in the Line-up. I know his throwing Arm is superb. But, that does not make up for his B-A-D Batting. He has short-circuited the Dodgers Potential Rallies on toooooo many Occasions.
It’s disappointing, but it’s just one loss. Doesn’t matter if it’s 2-1 or 22-1, a loss is a loss, but only one loss. The bullpen has been weak all season, did anyone really think the playoff dominance was really going to continue? And with Vesia out they’re without the only guy I really have confidence in and he’s not even lights out.
Can’t do it after Yamamoto’s complete game, but here’s my idea, have Kershaw start a game, go maybe 4, maybe just 3 innings, then have the regular starter come in and hopefully complete the game. With luck, that could take the bullpen out of it. Maybe do the same with Sheehan, only 73 innings, but he pitched really well this year even though it blew up on him last night. Yeah, Kershaws WS record hasn’t been stellar, but at least there shouldn’t be any trash cans banging away this year. And he finished the season healthy unlike last year.
Pages. Much to my surprise he had an excellent year, don’t know if it’s nerves or if he just went into a slump at the wrong time, but it’s hard to throw out the season for just a few games.
Hopefully Pages finds his confidence and takes freer at-bats. He was a stud at the plate in the regular season, and he can play a key role for LA in the World Series.
Everyone says the Dodgers have faced postseason pressure before, and now after last night’s disaster they are again. Snell was off from the start, batters were in their usual funk save for a couple for them. I’d say tonight is a “must win” and if they do, everything reverts back to what we expect from this team. Pages? Good question, and if he doesn’t do anything tonight with the bat, maybe Call is the right “call”, even at this late date. If Yamamotos’ control is as bad as Snell’s last night, we are in trouble and the Toronto bats look pretty solid right now. But, it’s baseball and that’s why we have the love-hate relationship we do = anything can and usually does happen. Go Dodgers!
Great assessment, Richard! I think Dodgers have to take Game 2 and head back to LA with the series tied.