Trey Yesavage was everything the Blue Jays needed in Game 5. Kirby Lee / Imagn Images
Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, Trey Yesavage broke a 76-year-old record once held by a Dodgers legend.
The Toronto Blue Jays rookie starter’s 12 strikeouts in Game 5 surpassed Don Newcombe’s record for strikeouts in a World Series game by a rookie, set in Game 1 of the 1949 Fall Classic. Rookie or not, Yesavage’s 12 punchouts were the most in a World Series game since 2000, when Orlando Hernández struck out a dozen New York Mets batters.
No other starter has struck out as many as 12 in the World Series since the Blue Jays entered the majors as an expansion team in 1977.
The history didn’t stop there, as Yesavage is the first starter in World Series history to strike out 12 or more batters without issuing a walk. Over seven innings, the 22-year-old allowed one run on three hits. The lone blemish was Kiké Hernández’s third-inning solo home run. It was also the only hit that left the infield against Yesavage.
Even among rookies, Yesavage is unusually inexperienced. He made just three starts in the regular season after a mid-September promotion. The right-hander began the year in the Class A Florida State League.
In five postseason starts, Yesavage has struck out 39 hitters, breaking the rookie record for a single postseason set in 2013 by Michael Wacha.
Yesavage’s subpar Game 1 start may have helped him the second time around against the Dodgers. In that contest, he lacked command of his devastating splitter and was forced to lean heavily on his slider. In Game 5, he was in complete control of his splitter (and other deliveries) to keep the Dodgers off balance all night. The 23 swings-and-misses he generated are the most in a World Series game since at least 2008, when pitch tracking began.
Oct 30, 2025
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