LOS ANGELES — Addison Barger had barely had the chance to congratulate Davis Schneider when he heard his teammates screaming once again.
It was a few minutes after 5 p.m. PT at a sold-out Dodger Stadium, and Blake Snell had thrown all of three pitches. The first, a 97 m.p.h. fastball, cleared the left field wall for a solo home run by Davis Schneider. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took the second for a strike. And the third pitch, another fastball, ended up in the Dodgers’ left field bullpen.
In the visiting dugout, Barger deduced what the screams must mean.
“I didn’t really see Vladdy’s homer,” recalled Barger. “I heard everybody scream and I was like, ‘Oh shoot another one.’ But by the time Vladdy got in, I think we were all sick of high-fiving guys because we just got done with Davis. So we weren’t quite as excited when Vladdy did it because we just got done doing it, but it was a great moment.”
Not only did Schneider hit the first home run on the first pitch of a World Series game since Derek Jeter in the 2000 World Series, but he and Guerrero Jr. became the first players ever to start a World Series game with back-to-back home runs.
Those swings set the tone for a 6-1 Game 5 win that gave the Blue Jays a 3-2 series lead over the Dodgers — and they’re also emblematic of two traits that have made the 2025 Blue Jays the American League’s best team: offensive game-planning and selfless adaptability.
Going into Game 5, the Blue Jays wanted their hitters to be aggressive against Snell, the two-time Cy Young award winner. Their reasoning was simple. In Game 1, they’d worked tough at-bats, fouling off pitch after pitch and forcing him to throw 29 pitches in the first inning alone.
With that in mind, manager John Schneider and hitting coaches David Popkins, Lou Iannotti and Hunter Mense expected Snell to attack the zone in search of more efficient outs.
“That was the approach going in,” the manager said. “Be ready to hit.”
“He’s got great weapons. Any hitter will tell you against a guy like that, when you know he’s going to challenge you, you’ve got to be ready for the fastball.”
When his coaches spoke, Davis Schneider trusted their message. The Blue Jays ranked fourth in baseball with a 112 wRC+ during the regular season before posting an MLB-best 128 wRC+ in the post-season, entering play Wednesday. And while those results wouldn’t be possible without the innate athleticism of players like Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays players also get the most out of their ability by trusting what they hear in their pre-game hitters’ meetings.
“Snell’s a really good pitcher,” Davis Schneider said. “Last time I only got a few fastballs, so I was kind of sitting fastball.”
“We figured he’s going to try to get the fastball over for a strike and then go to his off-speed.”
He got the heater, crushed it and hoped. At first, he didn’t think he’d hit it hard enough to leave the ballpark, but it cleared the wall, setting the stage for Guerrero Jr. to stick to that same game plan and build on what’s already been a historic October.
With his first-inning swing against Snell, Guerrero Jr. extended franchise records with his eighth home run of the post-season and his 27th hit, passing Hall of Famer Paul Molitor’s total of 21 in 1993. In fact, those 27 hits are the second most in MLB post-season history, trailing only Randy Arozarena, who had 30 in 2020.
As Barger said: “Snell’s a great pitcher, so being able to do that is awesome.”
Credit the coaches for putting a strong game plan in place, but none of it would work without a flexible approach on the part of the players. Schneider barely played in the ALCS against Seattle’s righty-heavy pitching staff and hadn’t started any game at leadoff since August 14.
This latest assignment was finalized all of two hours before first pitch because George Springer was on the bench due to side discomfort, but Schneider embraced the challenge. In fact, he did a pretty good Springer impression Wednesday.
“George always preaches you always be ready for the fastball first pitch leading off the game,” said Schneider, who used an old minor-league stance of his own Wednesday instead of imitating Will Smith, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton or any of his other favourites. “And George has done it for numerous years. I’ve got to take some advice when I can get it.”
It’s the same type of flexibility that this team has embraced all year. See also: Andres Gimenez playing shortstop, Bo Bichette playing through the pain to handle second base, Nathan Lukes bouncing between the bench and the starting lineup or Ernie Clement covering every single infield position.
That same attitude helped Barger meet the moment in Game 1, when he hit a pinch-hit grand slam that helped the Blue Jays win their first World Series game since 1993. And it’s not just the position players either. Chris Bassitt has embraced life in the bullpen, Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage have offered to pitch in relief, and Eric Lauer has done whatever the Blue Jays have asked all season.
Really, it’s probably a significant reason why this team has been underestimated for so long. There’s no way to watch a highlight reel of the behind-the-scenes moments that those players put the team first and themselves second. But on buses and in clubhouses, the Blue Jays have been exceptionally flexible, responding to the demands of the moment with openness and confidence.
And when they left Dodger Stadium Wednesday night, they were a win away from achieving the ultimate goal.
“You can’t take the foot off the gas until it’s over,” Davis Schneider said. “You never know. Until the very last out happens, you can’t really take anything for granted.”
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The World Series is coming back to Toronto with the Blue Jays one win away from capturing their first title since 1993. Watch Game 6 on Friday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
