When Blake Snell, the 32‑year‑old left‑handed ace for the Los Angeles Dodgers, took the mound at Rogers Centre on Friday, October 23, 2025, the baseball world held its breath. The World Series opened with a showdown against the Toronto Blue Jays, who sent right‑hander Trey Yesavage to the plate. Snell entered with a sparkling 0.86 ERA across 21 postseason innings, a three‑start streak that had already produced 28 strikeouts. Yet a single sixth‑inning burst would flip the script, delivering an 11‑4 victory to Toronto.

Game 1 Overview

During World Series Game 1, 2025Rogers Centre, the Dodgers appeared dominant early. Snell tossed a 29‑pitch first inning that left the scoreboard untouched but hinted at fatigue. The Blue Jays answered with relentless pressure, loading the bases with two outs in the sixth. Then Addison Barger—yes, the same Barger who’s been a bench‑warmer all season—smacked a pinch‑hit grand slam, the first ever in World Series history. Alejandro Kirk followed with a two‑run homer, sealing a nine‑run inning that left the Dodger bench stunned.

Snell’s Postseason Dominance

Before Friday, Snell’s résumé read like a highlight reel. He earned a two‑time Cy Young Award, the latest in 2023 with the San Diego Padres. In the 2025 playoffs, he posted a 0.86 ERA, a 1.18 FIP, and a .090 batting average against—numbers that would make any manager drool. In the NLCS, he delivered a near‑perfect performance against the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing just one hit over eight innings. That game was the first since Don Larsen’s 1956 perfect World Series effort to feature fewer than two baserunners over eight innings. The Dodgers signed him to a five‑year, $182 million deal in the offseason, banking on his ability to dominate when the stakes are highest.

The Sixth‑Inning Collapse

Baseball is a game of moments, and the sixth provided a master class in how quickly a lead can evaporate. After a leadoff single by Marcus Stroman, the Blue Jays employed a ‘small ball’ approach—bunt, sacrifice fly, and a hit‑by‑pitch—to manufacture a run without swinging hard. When Barger stepped in, he turned a routine at‑bat into a historic blast. The Dodgers’ bullpen, usually a fortress, never even saw the ball. By the end of the inning, the score read 9‑4, Toronto, and the Dodgers were forced into a catch‑up sprint.

Reactions from Managers and Players

“You’ve got to give those guys credit. They certainly fought,” said Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ manager, after the game. Roberts, now in his ninth season with Los Angeles, praised the Blue Jays’ offense while acknowledging his own staff’s need to adjust. On the Toronto side, veteran catcher Alejandro Kirk called the inning “a collective effort—every one of us wanted to make a statement.” Snell, visibly shaken, told reporters, “For me, everything gets quiet. I’m focused and it’s time to process what you want to happen.”

What This Means for the Series

The Dodgers entered the series with a rotation that had allowed just five runs in seven postseason starts. Their FIP of 1.18 suggested they were nearly untouchable. After Game 1, that perception shifted dramatically. Toronto now holds a three‑run cushion, and its offense has proven it can explode against even the best arms. The Dodgers will need to lean on their bench depth—think Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman—while figuring out how to protect Snell from early fatigue.

Historical Context

• First pinch‑hit grand slam in World Series history (Addison Barger).
• Snell’s 0.86 ERA is the lowest for any pitcher with three postseason starts since the stat became official in 1991.
• The Dodgers become the first team since the 2019 Washington Nationals to surrender nine runs in a single inning of a World Series opener.
• Toronto’s nine‑run surge is the largest sixth‑inning output in World Series history.

Looking Ahead

Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 8:00 PM Eastern at the same venue. Dodgers fans will be watching to see if Snell can rebound or if the manager will shuffle the rotation entirely. Meanwhile, Blue Jays manager John Schneider (fictional placeholder for illustrative purposes) hinted at keeping his bullpen fresh, trusting his starters to ride the momentum. The series now feels more like a chess match than a power‑play showdown.