Even playing in their raucous Rogers Centre north of the border in the opener Friday, the cute little Toronto Blue Jays<\/a> were supposed to be a far inferior team, eh?<\/p>\n Uhhhh\u2026<\/p>\n For baseball\u2019s burgeoning dynasty, there suddenly looms disaster. For the dominating Dodgers, this is now a World Serious.<\/p>\n The Blue Jays didn\u2019t just win Game 1, they hammered the Dodgers into a maple-leafy pulp, 11-4<\/a>, battering their ace and bruising their ego and sending a message.<\/p>\n It was delivered in the ninth inning, when the fans rained a chant down on Shohei Ohtani, who spurned the Blue Jays in his free agent sweepstakes two years ago and whose two-run homer meant nothing Friday night.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need you\u2026 we don\u2019t need you.\u201d<\/p>\n When the game ended shortly and mercifully thereafter, another unspoken message had been sent.<\/p>\n You know where you can stick your broom\u2026<\/p>\n Truly, the only thing getting swept in this series is the Dodgers\u2019 aura of invincibility, as the Blue Jays did exactly what they needed to do by hitting them precisely where it hurts.<\/p>\n Welcome to the postseason, Dodger bullpen.<\/p>\n Now get lost.<\/p>\n Wearing down ace Blake Snell<\/a> for 29 pitches in the first inning and 100 pitches by the sixth, the pesky Blue Jays hitters loaded the bases with none out and the score tied 2-all when Snell left the game for the maligned and recently ignored Dodger relievers.<\/p>\n And all Hortons broke loose.<\/p>\n Emmet Sheehan lasted four hitters and allowed three baserunners. Ernie Clement singled in a run, Nathan Lukes walked to force in a run and Andr\u00e9s Gim\u00e9nez singled in a run, and have you ever heard of any of those guys?<\/p>\n Enter Anthony Banda, and exit an Addison Barger fly ball into the right-field stands for the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. Add an ensuing single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a home run from Alejandro Kirk and you pretty much get the picture.<\/p>\n The Dodgers gave up nine runs in the sixth inning, more than twice as many runs as they gave up in the entire four-game National League Championship Series win against the Milwaukee Brewers.<\/p>\n Worse yet, they allowed, for the first time this postseason, some doubt.<\/p>\n Did the seven days off since the NLCS sweep ruin their timing as brief October vacations have done to Dodger teams in the past? After all, this is the fifth time in World Series history a team coming off a sweep played a team that was stretched to seven games, and in the previous four times, the team that was stretched won the series.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, honestly, I really don\u2019t think the week layoff had anything to do with tonight,\u201d said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts<\/a>. \u201cWe were rested. I thought we were in a good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n They indeed led 2-0 early but wasted some baserunners and Ohtani left the bases loaded with a groundout in the second. Then Daulton Varsho stunned Snell with a two-run homer in the fourth to set up that sixth-inning nightmare.<\/p>\n The Dodgers had gone 9-1 in these playoffs mostly because their quality starting pitching had allowed them to usually avoid the bullpen except for closer Roki Sasaki. If Roberts has to keep opening that gate early, they\u2019re in trouble.<\/p>\n \u201cThey need to bounce back,\u201d Roberts said of his relievers. \u201cWith the construct of the pen, we\u2019re going to need \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dodgers will roll out another ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a>, in Game 2 Saturday. He pitched a complete game in his last start, so maybe there\u2019s no cause to worry.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761371294_652_hqdefault.jpg\")
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