The Toronto Blue Jays torched the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Centre on Friday in Game 1 of the 121st World Series, walloping the Men in Blue, 11-4, a lopsided game in which Toronto exploded for nine runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by a pinch-hit grand slam by Addison Barger, the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.
- The nine runs in a single inning were the most since the 10-run seventh inning for the Philadelphia Athletics in Game 4 of the 1929 Fall Classic and a 10-run third inning for the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the 1968 World Series.
- Toronto collected 14 hits in the win, the most by a club in Game 1 of the World Series since the Giants also had 14 hits in Game 1 of the 2010 World Series.
- The 14 hits are tied for fourth most all-time in Game 1, matching the Giants (1924); Reds (1919) and Cubs (1908).
- The record for most hits in a Game 1 World Series contest belongs to the Brewers (1982) and Red Sox (2007) with 17 hits each, while the Dodgers 15 hits in Game 1 of the 1978 World Series are third-most.
- George Springer, Addison Barger, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and Ernie Clement each racked up multiple hits in the game.
- The five players with multiple hits are the most in a World Series game since five players also had multiple hits in Game 4 of the 2019 Fall Classic for Houston (Altuve, Brantley, Bregman, Chirinos & Marisnick).
- The Blue Jays are the first club with at least five players to record a multi-hit game in Game 1 of the World Series since the Red Sox had six players with a multi-hit game in 2007 (Drew, Lugo, Ortiz, Ramirez, Varitek & Youkilis).
- The winner of the first game of the World Series has gone on to win the Fall Classic 77 times (64.2%). That has been the case in 18 of the last 22 and 23 of the last 27 World Series beginning in 1997.
- The winner of the second game of the World Series has gone on to win the Fall Classic 78 times (65.0%), which has been the case in 18 of the last 27 and 25 of the last 37 World Series stretching back to 1987.
- In three of the last five years, the World Series winner has lost Game 2 including Texas in 2023 (9-1 vs. AZ); Atlanta in 2021 (7-2 at HOU); and Los Angeles in 2020 (6-4 vs. TB).
- Prior to the Dodgers losing in 2020, the winner of Game 2 had won the World Series in five consecutive years dating back to the 2015 Royals.
- Overall, the winner of Game 2 of a Postseason series has gone on to win the series 271 times (70.6%).
- Among the 57 teams to hold a 2-0 advantage in the World Series, 46 have gone on to win the World Series.
- The World Series has been tied at 1-1 63 times, with the winner of Game 3 going on to win the Fall Classic 42 times (66.7%).
- The Dodgers are 33-28 all-time in Game 2 of a Postseason Series, including 17-16 in Game 2 of a best-of-seven series overall, and 11-11 in Game 2 of the World Series.
- The Blue Jays are 7-9 all-time in Game 2 of a Postseason series, including 5-5 in Game 2 of a best-of-seven series overall, and 1-1 in Game 2 of the Fall Classic.
- The home team has won the World Series opener 72 of 121 times (59.5%), and has swept the first two games of a Fall Classic 40 times (33.3%).
- The World Series has been won by the team with home field advantage 60 times (50.0%), including each of the last three seasons with the Dodgers in 2024, the Rangers in 2023 and the Astros in 2022.
- Toronto’s Addison Barger entered as a pinch-hitter for Davis Schneider in the sixth, hammering the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.
- Overall, it was the 24th grand slam in the history of the Fall Classic and the fifth to occur in Game 1.
- Barger became the 38th player to homer in his first World Series plate appearance and the first since Michael A. Taylor did so for the Nationals in Game 2 of the 2019 Fall Classic.
- Daulton Varsho went 1-for-3 and crushed a game-tying two-run homer in the fourth inning. It was his third HR of the Postseason after he homered twice in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
- Alejandro Kirk went 3-for-3, highlighting his night with a two-run homer to cap off a nine-run sixth inning for Toronto.
- Ernie Clement went 2-for-4, giving the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead with a bases-loaded RBI single in the sixth inning.
- With a single in the second inning, Clement extended his hitting streak to seven games. His seven-game hitting streak is tied with Joe Carter for the seventh-longest in Blue Jays Postseason history.
- Freddie Freeman (who drew a walk in the third) has now reached base safely in each of the Dodgers’ 11 games this Postseason, marking the longest on-base streak of any player in the Majors this October.
- Kiké Hernández went 1-for-4 and opened the scoring tonight with an RBI single in the second inning to score Will Smith. It was his 40th career Postseason RBI and his 31st with the Dodgers, which are seventh-most in Dodgers history.
- Trey Yesavage pitched 4.0 innings, permitting two runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts and did not factor into the decision tonight.
- Yesavage is the youngest player in this year’s Fall Classic at age 22-years, 88-days.
- According to Sarah Langs (MLB.com) Yesavage is the second-youngest pitcher to start Game 1 of a World Series behind Ralph Branca, who took the ball for the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 1 of the 1947 World Series.
Compiled by Bill Lucey
Source: MLB Press Office
October 25, 2025
Leave a Reply